


Dream in Black and White

by Vanitas_Repliku_26



Series: Spirit Series [1]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: F/F, I thought I put this up here, OoT AU-ish, This has veerrry slight SheikLink in it, but apparently I only thought about it, but not really, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-02
Updated: 2019-10-04
Packaged: 2020-07-29 12:47:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 38
Words: 57,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20082457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vanitas_Repliku_26/pseuds/Vanitas_Repliku_26
Summary: Cursed to wander the border between life and death, she only perceives the black. And then the one she once protected comes to show her the white. ZelImpa with SheikxLink and hints of past Ghiralink. Post Skyward and OoT.I do not give my permission for this fic to be posted on Fanfic Pocket Library (Unofficial) or any other similar app.





	1. Prologue

She jerked awake with a strangled gasp, sky blue eyes snapping open after having her soul sent back into her body so forcefully.

With a soft sigh, she reached up a shaky hand to brush aside her blonde bangs as she tried to recollect her memories of what had happened a few minutes ago.

Or had it been an hour? She couldn't tell how much time had passed since it had drifted so slowly, merging one second to the next, in that horrible place.

All she remembered was a searing pain enveloping her entire body, hearing herself scream in agony as she thrashed around in an attempt to break the spell binding her to the air, before she felt herself—her soul—being sucked down into the dark, gaping maw of the great beast that waited below, mouth filled to the brim with several rows of razor-sharp fangs.

She glanced around slowly, realizing that she was propped up in a sitting position, back resting against a smooth rock wall.

Ominous black clouds roiled overhead like a mass of snakes and it was eerily silent, only the occasional gust of chilly wind blowing through the area.

Using the wall as support, she pulled herself to her feet, brushing off her white dress with her left hand, the intricate purple bracelets clamped around her wrists glinting faintly.

"Zelda, you're awake!" a low, rough voice called.

Zelda glanced behind her, shoulder blade-length hair swishing with the movement, to see a boy a year older than her jogging toward her, red hair styled meticulously into a distinct pompadour waving back and forth.

"Groose," Zelda whispered as the red-head stopped a few feet away from her, leaning his hands on the knees of his beige pants as he tried to catch his breath.

"I just had to go tell Grannie that everything was fine," Groose panted, golden-brown eyes relieved as he stared up at Zelda. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Where's Link?" Zelda peered around, noticing her friend's absence. "Is he all right?"

Groose could hear the panicked change in Zelda's voice as he straightened.

"He's fighting that Demise guy," Groose stared down at the ground several feet below where a circle of thick murky energy bubbled. "Come on."

The red-head held out his hand for the blonde to take.

"Let's go back to the temple and wait for him."

"No," Zelda shook her head, taking a step back as she put a hand against her chest. "I have to make sure that he isn't hurt."

"He can handle—"

"No!"

Groose blinked in surprise at the forcefulness, slowly lowering his hand, as Zelda stared at him seriously.

"I don't want him coming out of there on the verge of death and us not know about it."

With a defeated sigh, Groose glanced back at the silent, pristine temple sitting at the top of the circular, sloping hill behind them before he gazed back at Zelda and gave a soft smile.

"All right. Let's go wait for the doofus."

Zelda gave a laugh as she grinned.

"Thanks, Groose," she said, giving the red-head a kiss on the cheek, causing Groose to blush and chuckle stupidly.

When he came out of his stupor, Groose noticed that Zelda was already ahead of him and he quickly sprinted after her.

"I bet the idiot'll need my help anyway."

Zelda giggled softly to herself as Groose began to walk behind her.

"Oh, Groose…"

* * *

Zelda couldn't sit still.

She and Groose were at the bottom of the immense swirling pit beneath where the temple stood proud and tall at the top, waiting for Link to return.

She waited to see his familiar green tunic, floppy green hat, or the tip of the glowing white sword he wielded. But after five minutes she hadn't seen any sign of her friend's reappearance.

So Zelda paced while Groose leaned against the rock wall, arms folded across his broad chest.

She walked back and forth quickly for a few seconds before she stopped, staring hopefully at the boiling mass of shadows in the center of the deep cavity, only to begin anxiously pacing once more.

Groose silently watched her, but was calm.

He didn't doubt Link's fighting ability, having seen it firsthand several times, and the fact that Zelda was back in her body meant that Demise was defeated or on the brink of death.

By the fifth time Zelda had paused to wait for Link, she didn't continue, watching with relief as she noticed a brown boot emerge from the pool of energy and then another before a full body walked out.

"Link!"

The blonde teen, who appeared more or less miserable, stopped and stared at Zelda, his blue eyes wide with surprise before he slowly grinned.

"Zelda!"

The two ran at each other, meeting halfway, and Link picked Zelda up, spinning her around.

"You're okay!" he laughed as he gently set his friend down.

"Of course, I am," Zelda said, giving the blonde a quick hug. "I'm just glad you're not hurt."

It wasn't that Link wasn't injured. He only had a few minor cuts, bruises, and scorch marks on his skin and clothes. A silver necklace that Zelda hadn't noticed before hung around the blonde's neck, the pendant hidden beneath his shirt.

"Welcome back, wuss," Groose muttered, walking up to the two as they pulled apart and clapping Link on the shoulder. "Though I have to say, your entrances could be worked on a bit."

Link snorted, "My entrances are just fine, thanks."

"Nice going, buddy," Groose smirked as he wrapped his meaty arm around Link's throat and began roughly rubbing his knuckles against the boy's hair. "You saved the world."

"Quit it, Groose!" Link laughed, pushing against the red-head's chest to break free of his hold. "You're messing up my hair!"

The three laughed, the air around them growing light as they forgot about what had just transpired.

"Don't celebrate just yet," a dark, chilling voice growled.

Link opened his eyes with a gasp as the laughter in both Zelda and Groose faded.

"No…."

He looked toward the center of the pit as he straightened when Groose released him in astonishment.

"No, I vanquished you."

Standing amongst the dying embers of magic in the middle of the pit was the dethroned demon king, his flaming hair flickering bright against the smeared grey atmosphere and crimson eyes glowing with malice as he tightened his grip on the huge jagged black blade in his right hand.

"I am a _demon_, boy," Demise hissed, baring his fanged teeth. "I cannot be defeated that easily."

Demise's form wavered, turning briefly to particles of purple light before reforming as if he were having trouble maintaining his existence.

"Though it appears I will not be able to sustain this form for long."

Link's expression darkened as he drew his sword, stepping halfway in front of Zelda to protect her, shield raised slightly.

"Foolish boy," Demise cackled, a crackling ball of amethyst energy beginning to form in his left hand. "I do not need her anymore. Nor do I wish to fight you."

He stared down at the sparking orb in his palm.

"No…I have a better idea. I will curse you. You will forever be bound to walk the boundary between life and death."

Demise raised his red eyes to the three mortals before him, slowly, before he abruptly lifted his hand above his head, swinging it down only a moment later to send the ball of blazing electricity flying toward the group.

Link didn't have time to react and lift up his shield to try deflecting the attack.

"No, Zelda!"

The cry echoed as the world fell silent.

* * *

Sometime in the future

The young girl giggled as she trotted through the dark, dusty basement, the lit torches resting against the metal hooks nailed to the cinder block walls flickering faintly.

It was pretty easy for the eleven-year-old to slip past the guards protecting the doors to the basement and Zelda couldn't understand why her father didn't want her down there; there wasn't anything of interest.

Just rotting crates, empty bottles, and cobweb-covered paintings of her ancestors as well as her father's and mother's predecessors.

Zelda sighed as she slowed to a walk, placing her arms behind her back as she observed everything around her.

_I can't believe it's only been a few months since I used the ocarina to turn back time and allow Link to have his childhood, _she thought as she stopped to stare up at the picture of her deceased mother hanging at the far end of the basement, illuminated by the torches on either side of the frame.

_And now only him and I know what transpired in the final battle with Ganondorf._

Zelda glanced down and noticed a faded yellow sheet of parchment paper resting on a low table beneath the portrait. She raised an eyebrow, picking up the piece of paper, seeing that it was torn in several places and the writing was barely legible, having faded over the years.

The letters were in ancient Hylian, but being in the higher class of society, Zelda could read it.

As she went down the many separated lines of the different generations and family relations, Zelda eventually came to the end of the sheet and saw that she and Link were practically side by side.

Surprised, she looked up from the page.

"Link and I are…cousins?"

She blinked before she muttered, "Glad I got over my crush on him, then."

With a sigh, Zelda gazed up at the ceiling, placing a hand to her chest in an old habit.

"I wonder what that means for our future?"


	2. Much Needed Vacation

6 years later…

Zelda sighed for the ten thousandth time.

She was bored and she couldn't understand why her father had gotten infuriated with her yesterday; it had only been a harmless game of rock-throwing at the cuccos.

Innocent…until the birds had decided to retaliate, chasing the laughing teenagers until the two hid inside the horse barn.

Of course as she and Link were walking back to the castle, still giggling like two-year-olds and covered in small scratches and hay, Zelda hadn't realized her father had noticed her disappearance and was waiting for her to return home.

Obviously he wasn't at all happy when he found out what the two had done, blaming Link for being a bad influence on Zelda, though he had yet to ban the hero from being Zelda's friend.

The king didn't know that Link was Zelda's cousin, however, and the two wanted to keep it that way; when Zelda had told Link, the two had become awkward around each other for several weeks until they finally fell back into their old routine.

Of course, Link and Zelda hadn't gotten away from punishment for their 'childish and immature behavior' as Zelda's father put it; Link had been put to work cleaning out the stables and Zelda had been locked in her room until her father wanted to speak with her about something.

_Father just doesn't understand…_Zelda thought, huffing as she pouted, staring at the ceiling above her bitterly. _Being a princess is only half of who I am._

"Psst! Zel!"

Zelda glanced to her right, at her window, to see a mop of blonde hair and sky blue eyes peeking over the sill.

"Your dad nearby?"

"No, you're good, Link."

"Oh, cool!" Link popped up, leaning his arms against the sill; the blonde was wearing his work clothes which consisted of a dirty white T-shirt and blue shorts. "So, what are you doing?"

"Being bored out of my mind," Zelda sighed, draping an arm over her eyes as she wished she could take off the stupid cap she was wearing because it was beginning to get itchy.

"Wanna go throw rocks at some cuccos then?"

"Nah…Father wanted to speak with me about something."

"Oh…" Link's ears drooped in disappointment as he gazed off to the side before he perked up. "Well, how about we go take Epona out for a quick run?"

"Father would be furious if I left."

"Aw, man, your dad's no fun!"

"Tell me something I don't know," Zelda replied, a small smile tugging at her lips.

The two pricked up their ears when someone knocked on Zelda's closed door and a deep voice said, "Zelda, I'm coming in."

Zelda instantly sat up, glancing at Link who began panicking before he ducked down as the door swung open and a plump man in his late fifties slowly entered the room.

"Good afternoon, Father," Zelda greeted with a pleasant grin. "What is it that you require of me today?"

The king sighed, running a hand through his thinning white hair before he started, "I fear I may have been a bit harsh on you yesterday. But you know that I am simply looking out for you."

"Of course, Father."

"If someone had seen you participating in such a…a barbarous act…"

_ Barbarous? _Zelda wondered with a swift, sharp glare in her father's direction. _It was fun! _

"It would have set a bad example for Hyrule castle."

Zelda kept her thoughts to herself as she scowled while her father paced, but she immediately smiled when the king's brown eyes gazed at her again.

"Anyway, that is not what I wanted to discuss with you today. I think it's also best if Link were here to listen to what I have to say."

The king glanced toward the window as he paused in his pacing.

"You can come in now, Link."

Link, who had squatted down as low as he could go with his back against the wall and arms spread out, twitched in alarm when the king called his name before he gradually stood up, chuckling nervously as he scratched the back of his neck.

"Oh, hello, your highness."

The king stared at the hero for a few seconds before he focused his attention on Zelda.

"There's a small cottage on the edge of Lake Hylia that has just been renovated. It is 115 years old and belonged to your great-grandfather."

"And this concerns me because…?" Zelda asked as politely as she could while Link struggled to climb in the window.

"Ow!"

The two looked at the blonde to see that he had spectacularly face planted, apparently having caught the edge of his boot against the window sill.

Link instantly popped into a sitting position with an uneasy laugh.

"Since it was your 17th birthday a few weeks ago and it is now the beginning of summer," the king continued as he and Zelda ignored Link. "I have decided to let you have the lake house."

"Really? !" Zelda questioned, unable to keep the excitement from her voice.

"Just for the remainder of the summer," the king interrupted, pulling out a gold key from within the depths of his robes. "And every few weeks I will be checking in on you tw—oh!"

Zelda abruptly hugged her father, which surprised him from the sudden gesture.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Zelda hastily came to her senses, stepping back as she coughed to regain her composure.

"I mean, thank you, Father," she bowed, taking the key the king held out before she walked toward Link, hauled him to his feet, and began to lead him out of her room as calmly as she could.

However, once the door to her room closed, her excitement bubbled over and she whooped, jumping into the air before grabbing Link's wrist once more and taking off, dragging the hero with her.

* * *

The princess lead Link to the stables and began impatiently urging him to saddle Epona.

"Wait a second, Zelda!" Link laughed. "We have to have some supplies first."

"But I want to go now!" Zelda protested, jumping from foot to foot in her enthusiasm.

"Why don't you saddle Epona while I get the supplies?" Link suggested as he began to walk away. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

With a frustrated groan, Zelda lead Epona from her stall, brushed the mare, then began to saddle and bridle her.

Just as Zelda finished giving Epona a carrot for being well-behaved, Link walked up, carrying a pack on his shoulders and wearing his green tunic.

"Link, this is vacation," Zelda said bluntly, "not a mission."

"I know," Link shrugged. "I'm not gonna wear it all the time."

"And haven't I told you that I dislike that cap?" Zelda quickly snatched the hat Link wore before he could react.

"Leave my cap out of this!" Link protested, reaching for his hat only to have Zelda hold it out of his grasp.

"Epona, take care of this," Zelda handed the cap to the mare who began idly chewing on it.

"That's my special hat!" Link whined, grabbing the other end of his cap and engaging in a tug-of-war against Epona who wasn't even using her full strength.

The mare and Zelda glanced at each other out of the corner of their eyes and Zelda gave a small nod.

Epona released the hat and Link fell back with a yelp, tumbling to the ground with a thud.

The blonde huffed, blowing a few strands of hair out of his face as he glared at Zelda and Epona.

Epona gave a snorting laugh, shaking her head while Zelda giggled.

"I can't believe you would ruin my special hat," Link said as he inspected his green cap, relieved when he only saw a few dent marks from Epona's teeth.

"Special?" Zelda scoffed as Link stood up and brushed himself off. "They're all the same!"

"Not this one," Link mumble, blushing faintly as he held the cap to his chest like it was some sort of precious treasure. "Sheik touched it."

Zelda blinked as Link's face became even more heated, turning his ears red, and the hero pulled the cap onto his head, tugging it as low as it could go to hide his embarrassment.

"You're in love with my brother!" Zelda laughed, pointing at her abashed friend as Link began tying his pack to the side of Epona's saddle, trying to ignore Zelda's taunting.

"I like him, so what?" Link finally snapped, annoyed at the princess's mocking. "He's not even your full brother so why do you care?"

Zelda appeared surprised by the blonde's response before she grinned, clapping him on the back.

"I was just joking! Lighten up! I think it's cute that you have a crush on him."

"It's not cute!" Link protested as he helped Zelda climb into the saddle. "He doesn't even know that I like him!"

"Wait," Zelda said, holding out a hand in front of Link's face to stop him as he put his left foot in the stirrup.

Link looked annoyed by the princess's action.

"What?" he asked in an irritated tone.

"Can I lead Epona?" Zelda grinned hopefully at the surprised blonde.

"You?" Link repeated and Zelda nodded.

"Oh, please?" Zelda asked when Link appeared to think about her request.

"Fine," the blonde sighed after a few seconds, drawing himself into the saddle behind Zelda.

When the princess giggled menacingly, Link began to dread that he had made a wrong decision.

"You know what? I'm not so sure about this…"

Zelda ignored the hero as she picked up the reins and slapped them down a few seconds later with a "Hi-yah!"

"Whoa!" Link quickly wrapped his left arm around Zelda's waist, holding onto his hat with his other hand, when Epona broke into a high-speed gallop. "Take it easy!"

* * *

The house didn't look as old as her father had described; she could tell that it had been renovated.

It had fresh grey-blue paint, new windows on the first and second level, and the vines that had been growing on the side of the house were torn off.

"Thank Hylia, I'm alive!" Link practically fell out of the saddle as he hugged the ground. "I missed you, ground!"

Even Epona seemed exhausted from the long canter through Hyrule field.

"You're such a wuss," Zelda said as she strode up to the front of the house, using her key to unlock the door.

"You pushed Epona too hard!" Link complained, patting Epona's sweaty neck as he murmured, "All right, girl, let me get that stuff off you."

Epona looked as if she were about to keel over and die while Link began to take off the bridle, saddle, and pack.

"Link, you have to come in here!" Zelda yelled from the house. "It's amazing!"

Link scowled in Zelda's direction as Epona stumbled toward the lake to get a drink of the cold water.

"I'm coming," he said, picking up the saddle in one hand and resting it on his shoulder as he grabbed the pack in his other hand and began to walk toward the house.

As he passed through the door, Link glanced around at his surroundings.

The house was larger than it appeared on the outside.

To his left was a study that had three bookshelves filled to the brim with books, a comfy beige couch with a beautiful red rug stretched out in front of it, a table on either end of the sofa, and a closed fireplace in front of the couch.

On Link's right was a kitchen with an oak table, a small cooler for meats and certain vegetables, and a firewood stove.

A staircase lead to the second floor which Link could see four closed doors down the lengthy stretch of hallway.

"This place is big," Link commented as he set the saddle against the wall before beginning to unpack the bag he held.

Link glanced behind him to see that Zelda wasn't anywhere nearby.

"Zelda?"

"Freedom!"

Link looked at the top of the stairs to see Zelda there, her hair finally out of the cap and reaching to her shoulder blades with two long bangs resting against her shoulders; the princess was also wearing a large red T-shirt, blue shorts, and had no shoes on.

The hero watched as Zelda trotted down the stairs, taking two at a time, before flopping down in the middle of the floor on her back.

Link chuckled, shaking his head as he stared at his friend hopelessly.

"You're not like other princesses, are you?"

"Nope!" Zelda chirped with a happy grin.

As the two continued to talk, they never noticed the pair of crimson eyes watching them from the corner of the study, observing them silently before seeming to melt into the woodwork.

Zelda sat up, watching as Link finished unpacking his bag.

She saw that he had brought his iron boots, Zora tunic, Master sword and Hylian shield, fishing rod, and his bow with several arrows; he had them all lined up neatly against the wall.

"Why'd you bring all that?" she asked, crossing her legs as she rested her hands on them like a child eager to learn.

"To hunt and defend ourselves with," Link looked back at Zelda. "Lake Hylia is dangerous during the night."

Zelda pouted slightly before she dropped back down only to flip onto her feet seconds later; a trick both Sheik and Link had taught her.

"Well, I'm gonna go check out the rest of the house."

"What do you want for dinner?" Link asked as his cousin began walking upstairs.

"Whatever we have in the house," Zelda replied, waving her hand dismissively.

As she disappeared, Link shook his head with a sigh.

"She is such a tomboy," Link finished unpacking and stood up with a deep breath, making his way into the kitchen as he muttered, "I blame myself."

* * *

As Link cooked dinner—he had decided on a stew since all he had seen in the cooler were vegetables and some slabs of meat—Zelda decided to check out the study.

She hummed to herself as she ran her fingertips along the spines of the books, looking at the titles for anything that interested her.

Zelda's hand froze when she felt a small chill, sensing that someone was watching her.

She gulped quietly, sliding her eyes to the left, trying not to alert the person staring at her that she realized their presence.

Rapidly, Zelda turned around only to quickly glance from side to side when she saw that the room was empty.

Confused, Zelda strolled into the kitchen and asked Link, "Were you just in the study?"

"Huh?" Link peered at Zelda, a bit distracted as he finished brewing the stew. "No. I've been in here making the stew."

"Huh…" Zelda narrowed her eyes thoughtfully as she sat at the table. "But I was certain I felt someone watching me…"

"It's just the house," Link comforted, placing a bowl in front of Zelda as he sat across from her with a bowl of his own. "It's a new place; it creaks. You'll feel better in the morning."

Zelda didn't appear consoled by Link's statement as she stared at her stew pensively.

"Okay," she sighed as she and Link began to eat silently.


	3. Nightly Observation

It was a cool night with the sky a pitch black lit up by the stars twinkling merrily around the luminous full moon hanging high in the heavens.

It was peaceful with nothing stirring.

No leaves, no wings, not even the nocturnal monsters that normally tormented the land were out and about.

A few crickets chirped and an occasional hoot of an owl pierced the silence, but other than that it was a tranquil evening.

Everything was peaceful.

Except for Zelda who was having a bit of trouble sleeping.

She restlessly tossed and turned as if struggling to find a comfortable position.

Her dreams were being plagued by the events of the final battle between Ganon and Link.

* * *

_It was a broken piece of land with the remains of Ganondorf's dark, smoking castle that the evil king had destroyed in his own rage._

_Zelda had thought that it was finally over._

_After seven years of his tyranny, Hyrule was liberated at last, and Zelda hoped that the scars the corrupted Gerudo had inflicted on the land, and herself, could eventually heal._

_But she had been wrong._

_The pile of rubble in the center of the small outcropping of earth shifted slightly, sending both her and Link on high alert._

_Link said he would go check it out and Zelda warned him to be careful._

_As the blonde cautiously made his way to the middle of the area, Zelda silently prayed to whatever goddess would listen to her that it was nothing; it was just the messy stack of dark bricks settling._

_Of course fate decided to prove that she was misguided._

_When Link was a few feet away from the wreckage, Ganondorf burst up from the debris, floating above it before he revealed the back of his right hand to the two Hylians, his piece of the Triforce—Power—glowing brightly as the sky began to darken._

_The Gerudo then began to transform._

_His burning hatred for both Link and Zelda caused the Triforce shard that he wielded to go out of control, turning him into a personification of his malice._

_It was a gigantic, boar-like creature that stood on two thick hooves with dark green fur, beady pale jade eyes that sparkled brightly, and wielded two jagged swords._

_The nightmarish beast, Ganon, roared, swiping its lizard-like tail to the side and then began wildly swinging its swords as a ring of blazing flames encircled him and Link, preventing any assistance from Zelda._

_The third strike connected with Link's sword, knocking it out of the blonde's hands and sending it twirling out of the fire circle, the tip of the blade sinking into the ground near Zelda._

_But Link was resourceful; he began to use the longshot to attack Ganon, constantly moving around the beast as he searched for a weak point._

_While the two fought, Zelda ran toward the Master Sword to grab it and return it to Link._

_Just as she touched the hilt, though, the sword shocked her fingers, refusing to be wielded by anyone but Link._

"_Come on, you stupid sword," Zelda growled, glancing back at the loop of conflagrant flames to see that Link had managed to discover that Ganon's vulnerable spot was the tip of his tail. "I'm trying to get you back to your master."_

_Zelda gave a frustrated sigh when the blade once again stung her, brushing back her hair as she cursed the clothes she had on._

"_Oh, come on!"_

"_Stop fooling around, Zelda, and give me the sword!"_

_Zelda instantly gazed beside her when the Master Sword was pulled from its pedestal in the dirt to see Link._

"_Link!"_

_"Be back," Link gave a salute as he sprinted back toward the stunned Ganon._

"_Wait!" Zelda started, but it was too late; the ring of fire that had died down sprung up again when Link came closer to Ganon, initiating the second half of the battle._

_But Zelda didn't have to worry for the hero because he seemed to be doing well on his own._

_That was when it all went downhill._

_After paralyzing Ganon by striking his face with the longshot, Link made to bolt around the monster to reach his tail._

_However, he didn't expect the beast to recover so quickly and step back slightly, tail flicking to the right before lashing out, slamming into the Hylian and knocking him back several feet._

"_Link!" both Zelda and Navi cried when the blonde landed on the ground near the crackling flames with a thud._

"_Link?" the young fairy asked hesitantly when the green clad hero made no move to get up._

_Zelda began to fear the worst, but a few tense seconds later, the blonde finally climbed onto his hands and knees, gasping a bit in pain, before he shot a thumbs up at Zelda to show that he was all right._

_Zelda gave a relieved chuckle as she clasped her hands together, glad that the blonde was all right and even talking to Navi about something._

_That was when she noticed Ganon stalking toward the distracted Link._

"_Link, look out!"_

_But the warning came a bit too late._

_Link didn't even have time to react as the flat of Ganon's blade crashed into him, hurling him to the side, and before he could even get up, Ganon slammed his heavy hoof into the fallen Hylian._

_Zelda covered her ears and clenched her eyes shut when she heard the distinct sound of bones snapping and Link's agonized scream._

_With the hoop of fire keeping her from reaching her friend, Zelda began to sob quietly as the crunching noise rang out through the silent area before everything fell silent._

_Zelda didn't dare open her eyes, frightened of what she might see._

"_It's all right, Your Grace," a low, soothing voice murmured, seeming to echo everywhere and nowhere at the same time._

_Slowly, still terrified of staring at a mangled Link, Zelda opened her eyes and glanced around, noticing that she was standing in a white space._

"_It's all right, Your Grace."_

_That voice again._

_Zelda peered around, trying to find the source of who was speaking._

"_Who are you?"_

_"It's all right, Your Grace…"_

* * *

Zelda awoke with a small gasp, spotting hazy red eyes staring at her, a few edges of yellow above the pair of crimson orbs that appeared to be hair.

Zelda quickly sat up, rubbing her eyes before gazing beside her again only to see nothing.

Her ears lowered slightly, feeling foolish that she would even think that Sheik would take off time from his mission to visit her.

"What was with that 'Your Grace' business anyway?" Zelda mumbled to herself, deciding it was just her eyes playing tricks on her as she stared toward the window across from where her bed was positioned, silently blaming Ganondorf for her nightmares.

It was dark outside and the blonde realized that it was probably the middle of the night.

She scowled lightly before she flipped back onto her side, pulling her blankets over her head.

"Fuck this," she muttered as she went back to sleep.

* * *

"Zelda," Link whispered as he softly poked his cousin's arm. "Zelda."

The princess continued sleeping, either ignoring him or deeply asleep.

Link frowned a little before beginning to relentlessly poke Zelda's arm.

"Zelda, Zelda, Zelda, Zelda…"

He continued to prod her, hoping to wake Zelda up.

Finally, his goading seemed to work as Zelda turned to glare at the hero over her shoulder.

"What the hell do you want?"

Link grinned, not at all surprised by the princess's language or death glare.

"It's morning!" he chirped, placing his hands behind his back as he began to rock back and forth on his heels.

Unlike Link it was apparent that Zelda wasn't a morning person.

With one last glower, she turned back over, snuggling deeper into her blankets, and resumed sleeping.

Link whined and began shaking Zelda's shoulder.

"Zel, wake up!"

There was a soft chuckle from somewhere in the room that caused Zelda's ear to twitch.

"It's time to get up, Your Grace."

Link yelped in surprise when Zelda abruptly pulled herself up halfway, leaning on her elbows.

"Did you hear that?" she asked, her eyes carefully searching the walls, ceiling, and corners for anything out of the ordinary.

"Hear…what?" Link questioned slowly, afraid that if he asked the wrong thing Zelda would hurt him.

Zelda pouted slightly before flopping back down, cuddling into her blankets once more, and mumbling, "Wake me up in two hours."

Link lowered his ears in annoyance, muttered something about lazy princesses, and walked out of the rom as he continued to grumble to himself.

The red eyes once again manifested in the corner of the room, observing the sleeping Zelda's back.

_She is unmistakably different from her…_


	4. Shadows Revealed

At nine, Zelda trudged downstairs, yawning loudly.

There was a chuckle from the nearby kitchen and Link's voice asked, "You sleep well?"

The hero was ignored as the princess stopped at the bottom of the stairs and stretched her arms above her head with a groan, arching her back inward as she did so.

Her yellow T-shirt slipped up a little with the movement, revealing her flat stomach that was only marred by a seven inch horizontal white scar etched into her skin; a reminder of what happened during the seven years Link slept.

"So what's for breakfast?" Zelda questioned as she entered the kitchen to see Link standing by the stove, apparently heating up some water to make himself a cup of tea.

"Well, for me, breakfast was two hours ago," Link explained, glancing at Zelda, "but there's some leftover scrambled cucco eggs and bacon in the cooler."

The princess silently went over to the cooler, opening it and pulling out the plate that was in there.

When Zelda placed the plate on the table and made to go get herself some orange juice, Link wrinkled his nose in distaste as he stared at the plate like it was the plague.

"You aren't gonna heat it up?" he inquired in mild disgust as Zelda sat down at the table with a glass of orange juice.

"No," Zelda shook her head as she took a bite of her eggs, gazing at Link curiously. "Why?"

"They taste gross cold. When we were kids, you refused to eat them like that."

"That was before Ganondorf," Zelda replied in a clipped tone.

Link widened his eyes slightly, surprised by his cousin's curtness, before he turned back to making his tea; it was green tea by the scent.

After it was finished and he poured himself a cup, Link sat across from Zelda, but kept his sight on the window to his left.

That was when Zelda noticed it.

"You're not wearing your cap or tunic."

Instead of his normal clothes, the hero was wearing dark green shorts and a light blue T-shirt with a red bird-like figure on the front soaring toward the golden triangles of the Triforce; Zelda realized that the shirt was made to imitate the Hylian shield.

It also felt strange, to Zelda, to finally see her cousin's sun gold hair not partially hidden by the accursed (in Zelda's opinion) green cap.

"What, does it look weird?" Link looked embarrassed as his right hand flew to his hair self-consciously.

"No, I like it," Zelda shook her head, giving a light smile. "You look good."

Then it fell silent with Link continuing to stare out the window and Zelda gazing off in the opposite direction.

Since when had it become awkward between them?

Zelda then grasped that it was because they had spoken of Ganondorf; neither of them wanted to remember the battle with the evil king and after Zelda's nightmare last night she never wanted to.

Link cleared his throat quietly, causing Zelda to look at him and the hero slowly looked at his cousin before giving a bright smile.

"Wanna go swimming?"

* * *

Zelda silently thanked her cousin for coming up with such an idea.

He seemed quite happy to be in his green swimming trunks, staring out at Lake Hylia like he owned it.

The hero had several small scars littering his body from his journey, but they only seemed to manage scarring his chest and upper arms; his legs and lower half of his stomach were perfectly clear.

As Zelda came to stand beside Link in her yellow bikini she couldn't also help but admire the lake's beauty.

The sun was already high in the pale blue sky despite it being only around 10:30. The sun's rays reflected off the water's surface, causing miniature rainbows and floating balls of glitter as if fairies were hovering above the top of the calm water.

Zelda didn't mind that her scar was exposed, having gotten over her fear of others seeing it, but she could tell it still troubled Link slightly.

He would occasionally peer at it with a curious and uneasy expression before he would blush faintly and hastily look away as if realizing that he was staring at his cousin.

Zelda could see a few Zora splashing around, young and old, apparently enjoying the heat of summer and the coolness of Lake Hylia.

As several of them swam closer to where the two Hylian stood on the shore, a few of the fish people stopped, poking their heads out of the water as they stared at Link, glancing at each other and murmuring.

"It's the hero."

"The Hero of Time is here."

"What an honor."

They all bowed their heads respectfully, causing Link to turn red and stutter, wildly waving his hands.

"No, no! Don't bow! It's okay!"

The Zora instantly raised their heads only to discover who else they were in the presence of.

"It's the princess."

"Your Highness!"

However, before any of them could show their cordiality, Zelda growled, "Any of you bow and we're having Zora for dinner."

The piscine people twitched in alarm before they all scattered, disappearing beneath the water.

"Zelda!" Link whined, staring at his cousin in dismay.

"What?" Zelda asked innocently. "It was a joke."

"You scared 'em off!"

"Not my fault they can't take a joke," Zelda muttered as she glanced off to the side with a mild pout.

Link was just about to reprimand his cousin more when the two gazed down as something wet and cold touched their legs.

A young male Zora was staring at their legs, his small hands still pressed against them, before he gazed up at the two Hylian with a childish grin.

"You're it," he said before bolting and leaping into the water.

Zelda and Link looked at each other before they smiled and followed after the Zora child.

The red eyes watched them silently from a spot close to the house.

The owner of the eyes did not understand.

How was it possible for them to float in mid-air as if they were swimming in water?

And what were those strange fish-like beings that walked and looked like humans?

The red orbs narrowed slightly in confusion, tilting a bit to the left.

They swam so gracefully over the pit as if they were gliding through water.

But all the eyes saw was a pit; no water. Nothing to support the fish people or Zelda and Link.

"All right, I'm done for now," Zelda laughed after her splashing war with Link and the young Zora was over, swimming toward the shore.

Both the young Zora—who had introduced himself as Raze—and Link whined in protest as they watched the princess go.

"Stop being babies," Zelda muttered as she pushed herself onto the land, turning around and sitting on the edge so the lower half of her legs still dangled in the water.

Link glanced at the distracted Raze before he splashed the youngster, laughing as he swam away.

"I'ma get you!" the Zora yelled as he chased after the blonde, obviously must faster than the land creature.

Zelda sighed as she flopped on her back, slinging one arm across her stomach while she rested the other underneath her head.

_It's very warm today…_she thought as she focused on the feeling of the sun warming her skin and drying it with its heat.

She slowly allowed her eyes to drift close.

* * *

There was a soft voice next to her that sounded familiar, but Zelda could tell that it wasn't Link speaking.

"…definitely has a lot more…spunk…."

Zelda gradually opened her eyes, blinking a bit when the sun temporarily blinded her, and her sight eventually became focused.

There was a pair of crimson orbs staring at her almost inquisitively as she realized that was all she saw; no face, no body.

Just the eyes.

Floating there a bit to her right.

Startled, the princess rapidly sat up, the eyes disappearing as she did so.

Link glanced toward Zelda when he heard his cousin shriek "Ghost!"—something she never did—and spotted her running into the house like hell was after her.

He looked at Raze apologetically as he began to swim for shore.

"I'll see you later," he said as he pulled himself onto land. "Hopefully."

"Yeah," Raze murmured sadly as he forlornly watched Link enter the house. "Hopefully."

He turned away from the house, giving it one last miserable gaze before he dove underneath the water and disappeared.

* * *

"What's the matter, Zel?"

Link had entered the kitchen to see a frantic Zelda pacing.

"I was sunbathing and I fell asleep," Zelda explained, not pausing in her pacing or even looking at the hero, "and when I woke up these red eyes were staring at me!"

"It was probably just Sheik playing a prank on you," Link suggested.

Zelda halted, peering at Link before she looked away, crossing her arms over her chest.

She and Link both knew Sheik was on a mission.

Link scratched the back of his neck as he struggled to find another way to calm his cousin down.

"You just imagined things," he said after a few seconds, lowering his hand to his side as he stared at Zelda. "Maybe you got a mild case of heatstroke from being in the sun too long."

There was a faint, amused chuckle that neither Link nor Zelda heard as the princess muttered, "Yeah, maybe you're right, Link."

* * *

After a very filling dinner of boar meat and a mix of vegetables with a cup of warm green tea, Link and Zelda were sitting outside, enjoying the cool evening.

Hearing the crickets chirp to one another, watching the bright moon and twinkling stars, and Zelda being amused by Link trying to snipe a Keese that fluttered nearby with his bow and arrow.

"You're never gonna hit it," Zelda giggled, observing as Link slowly moved his bow back and forth to match the bat's lazy flapping, tongue sticking out in determined concentration.

"Shh!" Link whispered, trying not to give away his position as the Keese finally landed on a tree branch. "You'll scare it off."

Zelda rolled her eyes at the childish behavior and silently stood up from where she sat at Lake Hylia's edge, making her way toward her cousin.

She then lightly poked his shoulder blade, close to where his spine was, causing Link to gasp and shudder, accidentally releasing the arrow he had notched and drawn back.

The arrow struck the branch the Keese was perched on, embedding itself in the wood and causing the small monster to squeak and fly off.

Link whined, looking between the Keese and Zelda, also gesturing between the two in indignation.

"I almost…did you see…why would you—I almost had it!"

With a frustrated groan, Zelda snatched the bow from Link, also taking an arrow.

She notched it, expertly drew the string back, and let go, the arrow hitting its mark.

"There, happy?" she asked, handing the bow back to her distressed cousin as she began to walk away.

Link stared sadly at the fallen Keese as he muttered, "No…."

Then he gave a miserable sniffle, silently mourning the loss of his sniping target, and headed back inside the house.

Zelda was in the study, busy searching through the shelves for a book that interested her.

She finally found one that intrigued her and slipped it from its place on the shelf.

It was old and bound in weathered leather.

Words engraved in fake gold declared that the book was titled _The Legend of the City in the Sky._

Zelda raised an eyebrow.

Her nursemaid had woven a lot of stories when Zelda had been younger, but she had never heard of a city in the sky.

Deciding to check it out, Zelda tucked the book under one arm and started upstairs, bidding Link goodnight as she passed him.

* * *

_The city flourished up in the heavens. With an infinite supply of pristine water and the ripest of fruits, the citizens forgot about the land below them entirely until it just became a legend. They lived in peace with each other. This was known as the Era of the Sky._

It was a bit hard to concentrate.

Even though Zelda tried to ignore it, she could still feel the eyes on her, observing her as she read.

She finally became irritated and sighed, closing the book she rested on her lap.

"You can come out now. I know you're there."

Zelda gazed in the general direction that she could feel where the eyes were staring at her.

"I am sorry, Your Grace," a voice said as a form materialized in the corner of Zelda's room. "I did not mean to hide."

She was at least three years older than Zelda and six inches taller with a lithe and slender physique.

Her hair was a light blonde and very short with a single long strand of hair falling past her right shoulder, reaching to her waist. Three red circlets encircled the thin piece of hair a few inches below where it began as if to hold it together.

Zelda could tell that this…apparition was a Sheikah by the bright red eyes she bore, the crimson eye symbol tattooed on the center of her forehead, and by the clothes she had on.

Zelda tilted her head slightly to the side as she narrowed her blue eyes curiously.

"Who are you?"

"My apologies," the woman inclined her head a little as she placed her left hand against her chest, close to her shoulder.

She even bent one knee faintly as if to kneel down.

"My name is Impa. I am a servant of Her Grace, the goddess Hylia."


	5. Where the Bloodlines Overlap

Zelda raised an eyebrow.

Did this ghost just call herself Impa?

The princess smiled then began to chuckle which apparently surprised Impa, who lifted an eyebrow.

"May I inquire as to what is so funny?"

"I think you're confused," Zelda snickered. "You can't be Impa."

The other eyebrow shot up in mild astonishment.

"Why cannot I not be Impa? I think I would know my own name."

"First of all because Impa is my nursemaid, the Sage of Shadow, and living with the other Sages in the Sacred Realm."

Impa's face abruptly turned impassive.

"What era is this?"

"Huh?" Zelda stopped chuckling and stared at Impa curiously.

That was a strange question to ask.

"The Era of the Hero of Time."

"That would possibly explain it," Impa whispered, gazing to her right.

"Explain what?"

"I…" the Sheikah paused, obviously unused to calling herself dead, before she continued. "I passed on during the Era of the Sky. Just a little bit after it, really."

Zelda furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"But that was hundreds, thousands of years ago!"

"Has it really been that long?" Impa murmured, staring out the window, though what she saw Zelda didn't know.

That was when Zelda noticed that Impa had her left hand resting lightly over her right wrist, on top of a purple bracelet.

"What's that?" she asked inquisitively.

Impa's hand tightened around the bracelet slightly though her face remained blank.

"A reminder…"

"Huh?" Zelda frowned, tilting her head to the side.

Impa didn't respond.

Zelda decided that she must have hit a nerve so she questioned, "Since you're a Sheikah, you must have watched over my ancestor, right?"

When the tall spirit didn't reply, Zelda feared that she may have asked about the wrong topic and was just about to take her inquiry back when Impa answered clearly, "Yes."

Zelda blinked as Impa slowly looked at her.

"I was tasked with watching over Her Grace—your ancestor. I assisted her in remembering that she was Hylia reborn in a mortal body by purification in two sacred springs."

With an amazed gasp, Zelda sat up straighter.

"My ancestor was the goddess Hylia?"

Impa gazed at the ceiling as she carefully searched for her response.

"Yes….and no."

Zelda scowled, crossing her arms over her chest as she slumped down.

"Well, that clears things up."

There was a soft chuckle and Zelda glanced at Impa who stared at her with a faint smile.

"You could say there were two spirits inside her. Zelda and Hylia. The two coexisted peacefully even if Zelda was not aware of the goddess's presence."

The young woman glanced off to the right, loosely folding her arms over her chest.

"I pray that she was okay after the final battle."

It fell silent for a few seconds, but it had no time to turn awkward.

"Was she precious to you?"

Impa peered at Zelda, turning her head slightly toward the girl to see her placing her book on the nightstand though the Sheikah only saw it floating beside the young girl.

"Yes," Impa answered after a few more seconds of silence passed. "She was a very dear friend of mine."

It went quiet again before Impa suddenly asked, "If I may pose a question, Your Grace."

Either Zelda hadn't heard the 'Your Grace' or she didn't mind it because she smiled.

"Of course."

"Where did you obtain that scar across your stomach?"

Zelda's eyes widened slightly before she frowned and looked away from the ghost.

"I'd rather not talk about it."

"That is fine," Impa replied without skipping a beat.

"I'm going to bed," Zelda decided, turning on her side so her back was to Impa. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Your Grace."

There was a slight creak of a floorboard and Zelda glanced at Impa to see the Sheikah heading toward the foot of her bed, gliding almost, before sitting down and crossing her legs, resting her arms on her knees.

Curiously, Zelda crawled to the edge of her bed, peering over it to see Impa staring straight ahead.

"What are you doing?"

"Watching for danger," Impa replied, not taking her eyes off the woods in front of her.

Zelda looked between Impa and the clear, star-filled sky outside before she frowned, puzzled.

"But I'm inside the house."

The Sheikah didn't respond, gazing directly in front of her placidly.

Zelda scowled a little, annoyed with the strange apparition.

"Fine, be that way," she grumbled as she crawled back to her pillow and flopped down.

* * *

When the sunlight struck her face, Zelda groaned and rolled over, ignoring it as she used her arm to shield her eyes.

The rays managed to squirm their way underneath the girl's shield and she eventually gave up trying to sleep in, sitting up with a defeated sigh.

She grimaced, glaring at the sun as she realized that it was around 7:30.

Zelda swung her legs out of bed and stood up, stretching her arms above her head as she mentally put the sun on her Things-I-Hate list, conveniently putting it right next to ReDeads.

After her back gave a satisfying crack, Zelda began to strip off her night clothes and changed into her day clothes, idly letting her eyes drift to the foot of her bed.

She was a little disappointed when she noticed that Impa wasn't where she had left her last night.

Zelda pouted slightly, but decide that she hadn't told the ghost that she had to stay.

After she pulled on her blue T-shirt, Zelda headed downstairs and into the kitchen only to stop dead at what she saw.

Link stood by the stove only in black boxers with his back to the princess, singing quietly to himself as he danced a bit on the spot.

"I'll believe all your lies, just pretend you love me. Make believe, close your eyes. I'll be anything for you."

Amused, because Zelda could tell that link was a bit off-key, the princess leaned against the kitchen wall, folding her arms over her chest with a smirk.

"Hey, Link."

With a less than manly squeak, Link jumped in alarm and whirled to face Zelda, his eyes wide.

"Z-Zelda! What are you…why are…."

The hero blinked as if realizing something.

"You're up. And dressed," he glanced outside. "And it's only 7:30."

"The sun woke me up," Zelda shrugged, glowering at the sun merrily sitting in the sky outside, mentally watching it wither and die from her hatred of it.

She then glanced at her cousin and gave a sadistic grin.

"So….was that song I heard possibly reminiscent of your crush on my little bro?"

Link blushed in embarrassment.

"You heard that, huh?"

"Yep!" Zelda frowned when she noticed something and pointed to the hero's chest. "What's that?"

Hanging from the end of a silver chain was a sapphire cut into the shape of a diamond.

"Oh, this?" Link picked up the jewel and cradled it in his palm. "My pendant."

"Where'd ya get it?"

"I've had it for as long as I can remember," Link gave a shrug as he stared down at his necklace. "I guess my mom gave it to me when I was a baby."

"Well, it's very pretty."

"I know, right?"

As the two continued to talk, Impa watched them from the shadows of the study.

She stared at the azure crystal that Link held and narrowed her eyes.

The Sheikah did not like the waves that the jewel was radiating.

* * *

After the two had finished breakfast, both Hylian decided to go swimming again; no Zora were out that day, but it didn't bother them since they played by themselves.

Link glanced at Zelda who floated near the shore, staring up at something.

The blonde grinned wickedly as a nasty thought entered his mind before he slowly sank beneath the surface.

"Are you sure you don't want to join us?" Zelda asked as she gazed up at Impa, who was sitting on the grass a few feet away, observing the two Hylian quietly.

"I doubt I'd be able to," Impa replied, still wondering how the two were able to so flawlessly float above the pit without any use of magic.

Zelda pouted slightly and was just about to say something when Link suddenly appeared behind her with a yell, pushing her underneath the water.

As Zelda came back to the surface, splashing and coughing, she heard a faint "Your Grace!" as she turned to face Link who was giggling hysterically and pointing at her.

"That wasn't funny," the princes growled, glaring at Link as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Was to me," the hero replied with a goofy smile.

Zelda continued scowling at him before a vicious Cheshire grin crossed her face.

Link's eyes widened and he began to back up.

"Zel, don't you even think—"

Before Link could finish or even flee for his life, Zelda dunked him under the water like he had done to her.

Impa silently watched as the two continued to play like children, quietly questioning how Zelda and the Zelda she had once known were related.

* * *

After Zelda had gotten tired of swimming, she had gone back into the house and changed back into her dry clothes.

Link was still swimming, doing a few laps to keep himself occupied.

As she sat on the shore's edge, Zelda pulled out a small gold harp.

Impa stared at the lyre in surprise.

_Her Grace's harp!_

Link stopped when he heard Zelda begin to lightly pluck at the strings and swam closer to his cousin.

"Isn't that Sheik's?" he asked as he rested his arms on the margin of the lake's border.

"Yes," Zelda replied, still strumming a few notes.

"Did you steal it from him again?"

"Nope," Zelda grinned as she glanced at Link. "I borrowed it."

Zelda gazed off to the side as she mumbled softly, "Without permission."

Link's ears twitched as he heard the last part and he scowled a little, ears lowering in annoyance, but he didn't say anything as Zelda began to play a light tune.

"Oh, youth, guided by the servant of the goddess…"

Impa closed her eyes as Zelda began to sing, quietly humming along with it deep in the back of her throat, remembering when the Zelda she knew would sing the ballad during different times or depending on her mood.

"Unite earth and sky…."

Link also apparently enjoyed the song as he had also closed his eyes, a small smile on his face.

"And bring light to the land."

"Where'd you hear that?" Link questioned as he opened his eyes to look at his cousin.

"I dunno," Zelda shrugged, staring at the harp as she idly picked at the strings. "It just sorta popped into my mind."

Impa watched Zelda as she began to sing the second part of the song while Link resumed swimming.

_Is it because of the bloodline that she remembers that song?_


	6. Insightful Insomnia

Impa had positioned herself at the end of the bed the next night, once again crossing her legs and resting her arms lightly on her knees, keeping her back straight as she closed her eyes to meditate.

To anyone observing Impa, it would have appeared as if she had fallen asleep; of course the Sheikah had learned the hard way that ghosts didn't need sleep.

Even though her mind craved it, her body didn't require it.

Impa opened her eyes when her sharp ears heard a soft sigh.

"You should be asleep, Your Grace."

"Oh, ah…" Zelda winced as she pulled herself into a sitting position, realizing she had been caught. "Sorry. I can't sleep."

"You should at least try," the Sheikah replied, shutting her eyes to resume meditating.

Zelda stared at Impa curiously, not at all fazed by the fact that she could see through the Sheikah.

"Were you lonely?"

"…Lonely?" Impa repeated slowly.

"Yeah," Zelda said as the ghost gradually turned her head to stare at the princess out of the corner of her eye. "I mean, after who knows how many years wandering around here with no one able to see you, I'd be a bit lonely."

Impa continued to gaze at Zelda, her eye narrowed in something that could have been confusion.

Or annoyance.

Finally, the apparition slowly looked away, but no response was given.

Zelda feared that she may have made Impa uncomfortable with the question so she decided to change the subject to something else.

"I could tell you a little bit about myself," she said quietly, though she didn't keep her voice low because she worried about waking Link up; she was hoping Impa wasn't angry at her. "Since you told me about you."

The Sheikah didn't reply so Zelda continued, regardless of whether Impa was listening or not.

"I was eleven when I first met Link. He snuck into the courtyard just to see me. He believed me when I told him I didn't trust Ganondorf and I requested that Link gather the other two jewels—the Zora sapphire and the Goron ruby."

"…Did he manage it?"

Zelda perked up a bit at the question, glad that Impa was still speaking with her.

"Of course he did! For an eleven-year-old, he had a lot of spunk and courage. But by the time he returned, Ganondorf had launched an attack and my nursemaid and I fled the city. I threw the Ocarina of Time into the moat for Link to find because I knew that Ganondorf couldn't get his hands on it."

"What did this Ganondorf want?"

"The Triforce from the Sacred Realm hidden in the Temple of Time."

"That is not possible," Impa turned slightly to look at Zelda. "The Triforce is safe, guarded by the Goddess statue. And Her Grace."

"It may have been when you were alive, but Ganondorf got to the Triforce and his evil heart caused it to split into three pieces."

"Where did the pieces go? What about the Master Sword? It is secure, yes?"

Zelda was surprised by how urgent the Sheikah sounded.

"Ganondorf received the Power piece, Link got Courage, and I have Wisdom," Zelda revealed the back of her right hand to Impa, the piece of the Triforce glowing faintly in the dark. "And the Master Sword was safe in the Temple of Time, but Link still has it cause I said it would be fine as the doorway to the Sacred Realm is closed."

"Why would anyone move the Master Sword to Lanaryu Desert? It was perfectly sound within the Sealed Temple."

"Huh? No one moved it to the desert," Zelda chuckled lightly. "The Temple of Time is in Castle Town near the castle. It's been there for years."

Impa glanced away, thinking, _How much has changed between then and now?_

"Anyway, the sword wouldn't accept Link at the age he was so he was put to sleep for seven years. However, a lot happened within that time span. I had gotten captured by Ganondork."

Impa peered at Zelda once again, question in her eyes.

"Yes, I said that right. Sheik, my half-brother, was sent to watch over and guide Link throughout his journey and the town fell into ruin."

"What was Link's mission?"

"Awaken the five sages within each temple so that we could seal Ganondorf within the Sacred Realm so he could do no more harm. And then, using the ocarina, I turned back time so that Link could have the childhood that he missed. Of course, I found out in the castle's basement that him and I were cousins. I was glad that I had gotten over my crush on him, though."

"You said this Sheik was your half-brother," Impa started. "Is he perhaps a Sheikah?"

"Yeah," Zelda grinned. "I mean, I don't know the exact details of his conception, but he's a few months younger than I am, so I guess my dad got drunk after my mom died and knocked up an intoxicated Sheikah."

"What a gentle way of explaining it," Impa muttered wryly.

"Thanks. Though, Sheik and dad don't get along."

"Even though he is technically his son?"

"Yeah. I heard them arguing with each other when I was fourteen after I had turned back time."

* * *

_Zelda trotted into the courtyard, heading toward the small secluded area where she could look into the castle to observe what was going on inside; she had dubbed the place Zelda's Spot._

"_So how was your mission?"_

_"It went fine."_

_Zelda paused when she heard the two voices and immediately pressed herself against the nearby wall, peeking around the corner to see Sheik and her dad standing across from each other._

"_That is good," the king turned his back to the young Sheikah. "You can leave now."_

_Sheik gave a brief, rigid bow, his disdain for the king apparent, and turned to leave._

"_At least the Sheikah are useful for something."_

_Sheik stopped when he heard what his father muttered and immediately faced the king._

"_The Sheikah are not as useless as you think."_

"_There is only two of your kind left. Nothing you can do can bring your race back."_

_"We do not need any more Sheikah," Sheik growled, annoyed at his father's nonchalance. "Aunt Impa and I live our lives to the fullest and with pride. You just can't seem to get over the fact that we didn't betray you, you betrayed us."_

"_Enough!" the king instantly whirled to face the furious Sheikah. "Your kind has nothing left. I don't know why you insist on living like a Sheikah even though you are only half."_

_"Because I don't want to turn out like you," Sheik spat, glaring daggers at the king with his visible eye before turning and storming away._

"_Sheik."_

_The Sheikah paused, glancing at Zelda who was staring at him pleadingly, silently begging him to make up with the king._

_All the blonde granted the princess was a brief look of remorse before he continued striding out of the courtyard._

* * *

"It is disheartening that your father cannot accept Sheik as who he is," Impa murmured, staring back at the stars outside.

"That's what I try to explain to my dad," Zelda sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. "But then he changes the subject to how I'm supposed to be and act like a princess. But I hate that. I don't want to be a princess if I can't be who I am. Dad's always concerned about how I look and act. He doesn't allow me to be what I want to be."

"You are implying that he is strict," Impa chuckled softly.

"Yes. He is insanely strict! It gets on my nerves!"

"Her Grace was the same way when talking about her father even though I never met him in person. She said…her dad allowed only the hero to be her closest friend. No one else had passed her father's tests."

Zelda grinned, pushing herself up straighter, "It's like my dad and Link!"

Impa gazed at Zelda out of the corner of her eye when she heard a yawn and observed Zelda crossing her arms over chest again.

"I just wish dad would accept me as I am," the blonde muttered sleepily, "and not try to make me into something I'm not."

"You are exhausted," Impa said as she stood up, heading to Zelda's side. "You should sleep."

"But I'm not," Zelda yawned once again, "even tired…."

Impa watched as the princess's eyes slowly closed, the teen finally succumbing to sleep.

Impa reached out her hands to lay Zelda down, knowing that the girl would be grumpy when she woke up the next day after sleeping sitting up, but froze when her hands passed through the girl.

The Sheikah pulled back, surprised at what happened, before remembering that she was not corporeal.

Impa then concentrated all her power on her arms and hands before trying once again.

A spark of pride went through Impa when she managed to gently grasp Zelda's arm and back, sliding her into a horizontal position before covering the girl with her blanket.

All the while Zelda continued to sleep, already in a deep slumber.

Impa smiled faintly, grazing the tips of her fingers against Zelda's cheek to brush away some loose gold hair.

"Goodnight, Your Grace."

Impa became startled when the blonde shifted slightly, nuzzling against the touch.

The Sheikah instantly pulled her hand back, alarmed at the reaction, before glancing to the side as her form dissipated.


	7. Like Tachylite

"Oh, look at that one. See it?"

"Oh, you're right. It does look like a flower."

"I believe that is what is called an Ancient Flower."

It was a cool night and Link, Zelda, and Impa were outside, gazing at the stars.

The two Hylian were lying on their backs while Impa sat beside Zelda, head tilted back to stare at the twinkling stars in the black void above.

Zelda had, of course, tried to persuade Impa to recline back with her and Link, but the Sheikah had refused, choosing to sit instead of stretching out.

Zelda gasped as she spotted something, nudging Link.

"Look at that one!" she pointed to the one that had caught her eye. "It's a bunny rabbit!"

"Really?"

"Yeah, see the fluffy tail?"

"Oh, yeah, I do!" Link pointed at the cluster of stars. "That's so cool."

The two continued finding and showing off the constellations they had discovered with Impa silently watching.

"Oh, hey!" Link pointed at the dark sky again. "That one looks like two people fighting to the death over the Triforce!"

While Zelda tried to find what Link had sighted, Impa spotted the constellation easily.

After staring at it for a few seconds, she glanced to the side shakily, deciding that the grass was more interesting.

Zelda noticed that Impa had looked away and turned her head toward the ghost.

"Have you ever done this before?" she asked quietly as Link shouted out that he found a constellation of a Goron.

"I have never participated in such an activity," Impa replied, glancing at Zelda.

From the look on Zelda's face, it was apparent that she took the Sheikah's response in a negative way, thinking that Impa wasn't liking the stargazing.

So, to assure Zelda that she was faintly enjoying herself, Impa smiled slightly.

"It is wonderful."

Zelda instantly brightened up at the response, grinning, and turned back to pointing out the constellations with Link.

* * *

_Link found himself in a murky space and he cautiously glanced around before he gave a huge smile._

"_Does this mean you're speaking to me again?"_

_"Whoever said I stopped?" a low, smug voice questioned, seeming to echo throughout the entire void._

_A single black eye manifested in the dark space, staring at Link peacefully._

"_But you haven't talked to me in about a year," Link protested weakly. "I thought I did something to make you made at me."_

_There was a soft chuckle._

"_Why would I ever be angry at you, Link?"_

_The way the strange voice said his name…it sounded so familiar._

"_I'll forgive you…" Link placed his hand behind his back, interlocking his fingers as he glanced innocently to the side. "If…"_

_He looked back at the single onyx orb with a grin._

"_You reveal yourself to me."_

_The eye disappeared briefly and Link suspected that the owner had shaken his head._

"_I'm afraid that I can't do that."_

_"Why not?" Link whined pathetically._

"_I could come up with a lie and say that it's not time yet, but I'll settle with 'because I don't want to do it'."_

"_Well…" Link frowned slightly. "Can you tell me a little about my ancestor then? Last time we talked it sounded as if you knew him well."_

_"I did know him. I loved him and even though he knew it was not our destiny to be together, he struggled to love me back."_

_"But it didn't work out, huh?"_

_"Unfortunately, when one is enemies with another, that tends to end in tragedy. During the final battle between my master and your ancestor, master was defeated and I perished along with him."_

_"If you two loved each other…" Link said slowly, trying to piece together what the voice was telling him. "How come you fought each other?"_

_"It was fated. We both knew one of us would die. However, I gave your ancestor something close to me and placed a fraction of my soul within it so even if the rest of me died, a part would still live."_

_Link blinked, trying to figure out what the voice meant before he gasped._

"_My pendant?"_

_"Correct."_

_Link gazed at the ground, thinking for a few seconds, before he looked back at the black eye._

"_What did my ancestor look like?"_

_"A lot like you," the voice chuckled. "But his hair was sandy blonde while yours is a sun-kissed blonde."_

_Link touched his hair self-consciously._

"_And your eyes are as deep and blue as the ocean. His were a clear sapphire. I could see myself reflected in his eyes, but he could never see himself in mine."_

"_I like your eye!" Link blurted before he blushed as the eye became confused, an invisible eyebrow apparently raised. "Well…I mean…"_

_The blonde nervously wrung his hands together, pondering his next move._

_"It's like an onyx! Umm…but glossier and deeper, like a bottomless pit. Like tachylite!"_

_The voice chuckled softly at the mention of the glossy volcanic glass._

"_Your ancestor said the exact same thing to me when I asked what he thought of my eyes."_

_Link blinked in surprise as he asked, "Really?"_

_"Yes. As much as I am enjoying this conversation, however, I am afraid I must depart for now."_

_"What, so soon?"_

"_It takes a lot of energy for me to speak to you; I must rest now."_

_Link whined slightly, his ears lowering dejectedly._

"_Will you come back tomorrow night?"_

_"Yes," the voice replied as the eye faded._

* * *

Link awoke with a small start and sat up, blinking.

He glanced down at the crystal hanging around his neck and picked it up, letting it rest against his palm.

"It's warm…"


	8. A Piece of the White

"Oh, man," Link said as he closed the cooler door. "Looks like we're running out of food."

It had been a week and a half since Zelda and Link had first arrived at the house (and a week since Zelda had met Impa) and since then Zelda's father had visited the day before to check up on how things were holding up, though he had given a brief warning glare at Link.

"Really?" Zelda looked up from her breakfast, watching as Link also checked the cupboards.

"Yeah," Link sighed, shutting the cupboard door. "Looks like we'll have to go get some more supplies today."

"I'll go," Zelda offered quickly as she stood up from her seat.

"You want to go get foodstuff?" Link asked skeptically, glancing at Zelda with a raised eyebrow.

"Sure!" Zelda grinned. "I mean, I got nothing else to do."

"All right," Link shrugged. "If you want to."

"Sweet!" Zelda eagerly headed upstairs. "Just let me get dressed!"

"Dressed?" Link repeated in confusion.

Zelda was already clothed.

* * *

"Hey, Impa, we're going out today!"

Impa opened her eyes when she was pulled from her meditation by Zelda's shout before she sighed.

She was never going to be able to meditate peacefully without being interrupted, was she?

"Out, Your Grace?" Impa asked, watching as Zelda ran around.

"Yeah!" Zelda said as she stopped in front of a mirror, wrapping a piece of white cloth around her head before stuffing her long hair underneath the makeshift turban.

Zelda stared at her reflection for a few seconds before she frowned, shaking her head.

"Nah…."

The princess pulled out her bangs, arranging them so they only reached down to her eyebrows on her right side and to her cheek on her left, lightly pulling at them to make the ends spread out and become spiky.

Zelda then changed out of her shirt, pulling on a loose dark blue one and also discarding her shorts for torn red ones.

"Where are we going, Your Grace?" Impa questioned, standing up as Zelda observed herself in the mirror.

"To Castle Town to gather some supplies," Zelda responded, making sure her bangs were just right before she grinned boyishly as she faced the Sheikah. "Now come on!"

Impa silently watched as Zelda ran off before she followed after the blonde.

* * *

Link was just about to head upstairs when Zelda jumped down the last two steps, startling the hero.

Link then noticed that Zelda looked different.

"Zel…" he said seriously as Impa came to stand behind the princess, unseen by the hero. "Why do you look like Sheik?"

"Because," Zelda sighed in annoyance. "If I go as the princess then everyone will give me special treatment. I don't want that."

Link groaned, "Zelda…"

"Oh, come on, I'll make sure not to get into trouble! I'm just getting food, remember?"

Link looked at Zelda doubtfully before he sighed and slowly nodded.

"All right. Just don't do anything idiotic."

"I won't!" Zelda mock-saluted before running toward the door and opening it. "By the way, I'm using your rupees!"

"My…?!" Link began searching his pockets as the front door slammed shut. "How'd she…?!"

* * *

"So what is Castle Town like?" Impa asked as she trailed after a very pleased Zelda.

"Oh, it's very big," Zelda said as she idly checked Link's wallet to see exactly how many rupees he had. "It's where I always went to play. It's an extremely nice place; everyone's really pleasant. Did you—"

Zelda glanced behind her only to stop when she saw that Impa had paused several meters away.

"What's the matter?" Zelda questioned as she walked toward the ghost.

"I am afraid that this is as far as I can go," Impa explained as she observed the crackling wall of purple energy before her. "This barrier prevents me from leaving the Sealed Grounds."

The Sheikah knew that it had been Demise who had created the wall surrounding the Sealed Grounds to deter Impa from ever departing.

"Barrier?" Zelda looked around, trying to see what Impa did. "I don't see anything. You're being silly."

Zelda reached out a hand to grab Impa's wrist.

"Come on."

"Wait, Your Grace…" Impa started.

Zelda would only pass through her wrist. If Impa couldn't touch Zelda then the princess wouldn't be able to touch the Sheikah.

Impa was proven wrong however when Zelda did grasp her wrist and began to pull her forward.

Of course, Impa tensed.

Not because of the fact that Zelda had actually managed to grab her wrist, but the fact that she was being dragged closer to the barrier.

When Impa had first seen the barrier and had tried to pass through it, she had learned a very shocking lesson.

But the Sheikah was drawn past the barrier without any complications and Impa stared back at it in surprise.

How had Zelda…?

It was then that she noticed the Sealed Grounds.

Or what used to be.

The circular pit had a gigantic boulder wedged over the top, crushing the temple beneath it, with only a large enough space for one to stand in at the bottom.

A large amount of rocks sealed the entrance to the grounds and water had long since filled the crevices, creating a vast lake.

There were no trees and the huge rock that covered the pit created a sheer rock face where a sizable waterfall traveled down into the lake below.

At the edge of the lake sat a small two-story house with a chestnut mare peacefully grazing out front.

"Your Grace…" Impa glanced at Zelda only to become distracted by what she saw ahead.

It was a large expanse of grass with only a few trees dotting the hilly landscape.

A majestic castle sat at the far end, seemingly melded with the large tree that had stood proud at the center of the woods.

_What…happened to Faron Woods? _Impa wondered as she slowly followed after Zelda, gazing all around her to take in everything she could.

* * *

Impa glanced around as she and Zelda entered Castle Town, noticing how everything seemed to be made of stone.

A fountain sat in the middle of the plaza with the large castle at the far end of the town and an old temple-like structure was in the northwest corner of the village; a multitude of shops and homes made up Castle Town.

"This is…Castle Town?" Impa asked slowly as Zelda began going from vendor to vendor, gathering several food items in the basket she held.

"Yeah," Zelda nodded as she started to head toward a building with a sign that said 'Bombchu Bowling'. "It's a pretty quaint town, huh?"

Impa nodded as she followed after Zelda, wondering what the blonde was up to.

The Sheikah watched as Zelda paid the woman at the counter and in turn was handed five strange creatures.

Zelda placed one of the blue and yellow creatures on the ground after winding it up and it zoomed along the ground, heading straight toward the colorful bull's-eye, knocking it down.

"Yes!" Zelda cheered, pumping a fist in the air before setting about turning on another of the creatures.

"What is that, Your Grace?" Impa asked as Zelda released the critter.

"It's a bombchu," Zelda explained, giving another delighted shout when the bombchu hit the other target.

"A bombchu?" Impa repeated, still not certain what such a thing was.

"Yeah! See?" Zelda turned to face Impa, showing off the third bombchu which rested in her hands.

It was a mouse-like thing with a yellow body and a blue face.

"Is it alive?" Impa questioned as Zelda set the bombchu on the ground.

"Oh, no! See, you wind it up like this," Zelda turned the small key on the bomb's back before freeing it, "and let it go!"

Impa observed as the bombchu hit the target, knocking it down to reveal another.

_What a strange source of entertainment…_Impa thought as Zelda blew up the fourth target and finally the fifth one.

"Come on, Impa!" Zelda grabbed the Sheikah's wrist, once again surprising her, and dragged her out of the building. "I have another place to show you!"

* * *

The crowd watched as Zelda hit another rupee before they cheered.

It was apparently a new record at the Archery Range to hit so many rupees without missing a single one.

"What's your name, kid?" the owner of the archery building asked as he placed a hand on Zelda's shoulder.

"Umm…Sheik!" Zelda grinned. "My name is Sheik!"

Zelda continued grinning as the crowd congratulated her, truly thinking that she was a boy.

"Your Grace…" Impa started, moving toward the door, slightly unnerved by how several of the small children were staring at her curiously.

"Oh, uh, gotta go," Zelda pushed past the crowd and exited the building, trotting after the Sheikah.

"What is it?" she asked when she caught up to Impa.

"Nothing is the matter, Your Grace," Impa said, falling back slightly so she was behind Zelda. "But I am certain that the Hero is awaiting your return."

"I was just showing you around town…" Zelda muttered, her ears lowering a bit in disappointment.

"I understand, Your Grace, but we have made a slight detour in our original reason for coming here."

"I know…." Zelda sighed before she grunted, stumbling back a few feet when she bumped into someone. "Oh, I'm sorry."

The teen that she had run into had apparently been holding an ice cream cone as the cold treat in the pointed cone was stuck to his face.

The boy growled, the cone dropping to the ground before he wiped off his face with a hand, staring at the pink frozen yogurt on his hand then clenching his fist as he glared at Zelda.

"Hey, man, watch where you're going!"

Zelda scowled slightly. "I said I was sorry."

Zelda began to step around the teen, but was stopped when he shoved her back only to punch her in the face.

"Your Grace!" Impa gasped when Zelda fell to the ground from the strike. "Your Grace, are you all right?"

Zelda touched her lip then pulled her hand back to see blood on her fingertips.

She glared at the boy who was smirking at her, waiting for her to retaliate, before she stood up, spitting some blood on the ground to get the copper taste out of her mouth.

"You shouldn't have done that…."

"Your Grace!" Impa yelled as Zelda charged at the boy, slugging his face to repay him for her split lip.

* * *

"Goddesses, Zelda, what happened?!"

Zelda had just entered the house and when Link had seen her he had dropped the plate he was holding.

The princess had several bruises and cuts on her face and arms.

"I got into a fight with a village boy," Zelda explained as she set the basket of supplies on the kitchen table, "and won."

"What have I told you about starting fights?!" Link asked as he practically shooed Zelda into the study where he sat her down on the couch.

"I didn't start the fight!" Zelda protested as Link inspected her wounds. "He punched me!"

"He punched you?!" Link yelped. "Oh, gods, your dad is gonna kill me!"

The blonde nervously bolted upstairs.

"Stay there. I'll be back with a red potion!"

Zelda huffed, but stayed where she was, beginning to tug off the turban and straighten her hair back out.

She then noticed that Impa was slowly gazing around the house before moving to the bookshelf and inspecting the books only to flit to the nearby window behind the sofa, staring outside.

"So what do you see?" Zelda asked, watching as Impa looked at the castle situated behind the distant Castle Town.

The ghost didn't reply for a few seconds before she decided to answer.

"I see," Impa said slowly, "a piece of the white."


	9. Long Forgotten Memories

_Her vision was hazy and she knew that she was only halfway conscious._

_Someone was holding her over their shoulder, keeping her steady with a firm hand against her back._

"…_Link…"_

_She could see Link kneeling a few feet away, struggling to stand back up, glaring at the person holding her; was he injured?_

_It wasn't the Link she knew though; not her cousin. His hair bordered too much on a light brown and unlike her cousin's ocean blue eyes, his were more like a sapphire._

_The person—male—holding her was talking, but she couldn't hear any of the words he was saying as her vision faded to black._

* * *

_Zelda gasped as she opened her eyes and glanced around slowly._

_She was in an ancient temple of some sort with a small area to her left that held some kind of seedling planted in the soft ground. Before her was a large, turning gear with two small half-gears jutting from the ceiling, helping to rotate the huge cog._

_Curiously, Zelda floated around to the front of the gear only to stop with a surprised gasp._

"_Impa!"_

_Zelda instantly went to the Sheikah's side, noticing that her left arm and the left side of her chest were bleeding slightly._

"_Impa, are you all right?"_

_Zelda was ignored as Impa glanced up when Link burst through the gate._

_The Sheikah told Link to chase after a man called Ghirahim._

_Ghirahim…that name sounded vaguely familiar, but Zelda couldn't remember where she had heard it._

* * *

"_What did you fucking do to her, Demise?!"_

_She was glaring at the large man ahead of her, his hair a mass of flickering flames and he wielded a jagged black blade in his right hand._

_Out of the corner of her eye, Zelda could see the side of a shield and knew Link was standing beside her, weapons drawn and ready to strike; she sensed someone nervously standing behind her, but knew that whoever was there was not her enemy._

_The man…thing-Demise?—grinned at her, his teeth tapered to a sharp point and Zelda felt her arms tighten protectively around whatever or whoever she was holding as she matched his hard stare with a vicious glare._

* * *

Impa was jerked from her meditation when she heard a pained scream.

"Your Grace?"

Impa instantly turned her head toward Zelda to see that the blonde was restlessly tossing and turning, still crying out from whatever was happening in the dream that she was having.

The ghost stood up, heading toward Zelda's side.

"Your Grace, it is all right. Wake up."

Impa gently touched Zelda's shoulder, hoping to calm the struggling teen.

"Your Grace, wake up."

Suddenly, the door to Zelda's room was kicked open and a haggard Link with hair sticking out in all directions stood at the threshold, wielding a long stick and glancing around blearily as he mumbled frantically to himself.

When he noticed the distressed Zelda, he immediately set the stick against her nightstand and began shaking his cousin's shoulder.

"Hey, Zel, it's okay. Wake up."

"Your Grace," Impa lightly placed her hand on Zelda's shoulder once more, this time the gesture appearing to have an instantaneous reaction.

Zelda's eyes flew open and she bolted upright, her back ramrod straight.

She trembled for a few seconds before turning and clinging to Link's thin black tank top, surprising the hero as she began to cry.

Awkwardly, Link started to pat Zelda's back, unsure of how to comfort his usually strong cousin.

"Umm…it's all right, Zel. It was just a bad dream…"

Zelda rapidly shook her head, her grip on Link's shirt tightening.

"Do you…uh, want to talk about it?"

Impa remained silent, backing away until she was near the closet, quietly observing the scene in front of her.

"I…" Zelda sniffled slightly. "I don't remember it all that well…but I know that it was bad…"

"Well, what _do_ you remember?"

"Um…" Zelda pushed herself away from Link, running her arm across her nose as she sniffed again. "Not much actually…just a name mainly…um….Demise…."

Impa's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"And agonizing pain…"

_Demise?_

"What's a Demise?" Link asked curiously.

"I dunno," Zelda shrugged and appeared as if she were about to say something else when she noticed the stick leaning against her nightstand. "Why is there a Deku stick in my room?"

"Oh, it was the closest thing to my bed," Link chuckled as he picked up the stick and held it in both hands.

"Out of all the things that you could have brought, you brought a stick," Zelda deadpanned as she stared at her cousin.

"I thought that there was a burglar in your room!" Link defended, an embarrassed blush crossing his face.

"And you thought a stick would work against a robber that possibly had a knife?!" Zelda asked, snatching the thin branch from Link and whacking him on the head. "You idiot!"

"Ow!" Link whined, both hands going to his wounded spot as tears appeared at the corners of his eyes. "You're abusive!"

"A stick is only good for hitting!"

"It could work on a burglar!"

"What are you gonna do—whack them into submission?"

Impa watched as the two continued to argue with Zelda occasionally striking Link's arm, leg, or head with the stick to emphasize her point.

_How does she remember Demise's name? _the Sheikah wondered. _She isn't even supposed to know of his existence! Could it be that Her Grace's memories are crossing with the memories of this Zelda?_

Impa narrowed her eyes slightly.

_But that is still impossible. She is not supposed to remember the memories of her ancestor._

The Sheikah gasped lightly as she realized something.

_Is it perhaps because of me? Have I caused the timeline to become disordered because of my presence here?_

Impa frowned.

_That would make sense. It was predestined that I live and die in the past. But I defied fate by taking Demise's blow instead of Her Grace. And it is quite possible by making contact with this timeline's Zelda that I have also distorted fate's original design._

Impa stared at Zelda with mild regret for a few seconds.

_Perhaps it is best that I withdraw for several days and see how things turn out from my absence._

The ghost noiselessly dissolved, her disappearance unnoticed by the two bickering teens.


	10. It Doesn't Hurt Me

Zelda was awakened by the sunlight assaulting her eyelids.

With a soft groan, she blinked and glared at the sun peeking in through the window.

Yawning, Zelda stretched out along her bed, arms above her head and back arched slightly, before she sat up and rubbed her right hand across her eyes only to perk up a few seconds later.

"Hey, Impa—"

Zelda crawled to the end of her bed only to gasp when he didn't see Impa in her usual spot.

Normally when Zelda woke up, Impa was positioned at the front of her bed, meditating.

Zelda sat back, confused, as she glanced around.

"Impa?"

The princess hopped out of bed and checked through the closet, wondering if the spirit was hiding in there.

She then checked underneath her bed, in the bathroom, and even in Link's room; she still came up empty-handed.

With a sigh, Zelda miserably trudged downstairs and moped her way to the kitchen.

She paused, however, when she was certain that she saw a quick flash of blonde and red out of the corner of her eye and instantly turned around with a hopeful grin.

An empty hallway and the study beyond was the only thing that greeted her.

Zelda pouted, certain that she had seen Impa for a split second, before she plunked down at the table, dropping her head on the tabletop with a thud.

"Whoa," Link said as he stared at Zelda while making their breakfast, "what's with the doom and gloom?"

Zelda ignored Link as she stared at the wooden floor beneath her.

_Did I somehow make her irritated with me?_

* * *

"_What did you fucking do to her, Demise?!"_

_She found herself staring at Demise again._

_The demon…man-thing continued to smirk at her in a vexing way._

"_I told you I would curse you, did I not?" Demise questioned with a slight tilt of his head. "It's a shame, though, that she stepped in the way. Who can blame her though? She's just so loyal to Her Grace."_

_Something flickered at the back of Zelda's mind._

_A curse? Where had she heard that before?_

"_**I will curse you. You will forever be bound to walk the boundary between life and death."**_

_A curse! That was it!_

* * *

Zelda awoke with a startled gasp.

"You're awake."

Hopefully, Zelda glanced to her left, but she pouted slightly when she saw that it was only Link beside her.

"You passed out after lunch, so I brought you here," Link explained.

Now she remembered; she had just been going through the day in a haze until her two hours of sleep had finally caught up with her.

"How are you feeling?"

"Fantastic," Zelda muttered as she threw off her covers and slid out of bed.

"You shouldn't really," Link started as his cousin trotted past him, "be up and about…"

_I suppose I should have realized it sooner… _Zelda thought as she headed into the study. _Impa is no normal ghost. The barriers she told me about and the way she saw everything as it was when she was alive; ghosts should at least be aware of their changing surroundings._

Zelda began grabbing random books from the shelves and rapidly flipped through them before she placed the book back on the shelf she had taken it from.

_But she wasn't. She was cursed by that Demise guy! I bet I can find a spell breaker that'll help Impa pass on or something._

"Um…what are you doing?" Link asked as he watched his cousin frantically looking through the books in the study.

"Nothing," Zelda replied quickly, replacing a book and grabbing another.

Link raised an eyebrow, but knew better than to continue pestering Zelda about what she was up to; it usually lead to trouble.

He sighed, rolling his eyes, and picked up his nearby sword.

"I'm going outside to train. Dinner's in a few hours."

"Okay!"

* * *

The next morning at daybreak, Link trudged downstairs clad in his black tank top and blue boxers, yawning.

He halted at the bottom of the stairs, stretching his arms above his head with a groan before he idly glanced toward the living room/study only to blink in surprise.

Sprawled on her stomach with a dark blue blanket over her was Zelda.

A few books were spread out in front of her, some open and some just tossed carelessly to the side.

With a hopeless sigh and shake of his head, Link went toward his cousin, who actually looked comfortable sleeping on the fluffy rug, and knelt down beside her, shaking Zelda's shoulder.

"Hey," he whispered. "Hey, Zel. You gotta wake up now."

"Huh, wha?" Zelda muttered sleepily as she cracked open an eye.

"You fell asleep in the study," Link chuckled as he watched his cousin rub her eyes.

"Oh, yeah…." Zelda slowly pushed herself into a sitting position and glanced at the blanket when it crumpled to the floor. "Did you put this blanket over me?"

"No," Link shook his head as he stood up. "It was covering you when I came down."

Zelda stared at the blanket vacantly, her mind still trying to shake off the last remnants of sleep.

_Oh…right…_she thought, not even noticing that Link was beginning to gather up the strewn books._ I fell asleep after reading the last book. None of them had what I wanted._

"This may not be a library, Zel," Link said as he began to replace the books on the shelves, "but you could at least put the books back when you're done with them."

"A library…?" Zelda repeated thoughtfully before she grinned, turning to face the hero. "Link, you're a bloody genius!"

"I'm a—" Link paused in returning another book and a slow smile spread across his face as he glanced at Zelda. "Yes. Yes, I am."

"Oh, but that means I'm gonna have to…" Zelda groaned, frowning as her shoulders slumped. "Fuuuck."

* * *

After Zelda had eaten breakfast and taken a fast shower, she reluctantly changed back to the clothes that she had first arrived in, looking miserable.

"Where are you going?" Link asked from the couch in the living room, looking up from the book that he had chosen to read.

"To the castle's library," Zelda replied with a glance at Link. "It has a much larger collection of books than the ones here."

"And what exactly are you looking for?"

"Nothing," Zelda smirked as she opened the front door and shut it a few seconds later.

Link stared at where his cousin had stood before he shrugged and resumed reading, deciding that he didn't want to know what Zelda was plotting.

* * *

Impa appeared by the threshold of the front door, silently watching as Zelda passed through the barrier.

The Sheikah was also puzzled by Zelda's sudden enthusiasm in reading.

What had sparked it?

Impa headed closer to the barrier and stared at it for a few seconds, wondering if she would be able to pass through it unaided.

Slowly, the ghost placed her hand against the purple wall and watched as it sank through it to the other side.

Confident, Impa walked through the barrier and began to follow after Zelda at a far enough distance that the princess wouldn't be able to sense her.

* * *

Zelda poked her head around the corner before she trotted out into the open, heading toward the castle's expansive library.

The princess was thinking that if she didn't cross paths with her dad then she wouldn't have to worry about being polite.

"Zelda?"

With a wince, Zelda stopped in her tracks, silently cursing before she turned around with a grin.

"Oh, hello, Father."

"What are you doing here?" the king raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, I got bored being at the lake house," Zelda replied, trying to think of a good lie. "So for today and possibly tomorrow I decided that I would visit the library and read up on Hyrule's history."

The king appeared to think about Zelda's response for a few seconds before he finally questioned, "May I inquire as to why you are doing that?"

"If I am going to be queen someday I need to understand my country's history, do I not?" Zelda flashed a charming smile as she clasped her hands in front of her.

Zelda's father blinked, still trying to process Zelda's motive, before he grinned and swept his daughter into a hug.

"Aw, my little baby's growing up!" the king cooed, smothering Zelda in his tight embrace.

Zelda scowled slightly but said nothing as her dad continued hugging her.

* * *

Zelda sighed as she walked into the silent library and stared at the many shelves of books before her.

She went toward the section that was sure to have the sort of book she was looking for and gathered as many as she could hold before staggering toward a nearby desk and dumping them on the top.

Zelda then sat down at the table and took the first book from the top of the stack.

* * *

_It didn't bother her as much as it had the first time she found herself staring at Demise._

_Zelda had also noticed a pattern to the dreams._

_The nightmare would always begin and end the same no matter what she did; though she found that she could only look at her surroundings._

_For the first time, Zelda decided to look down to see who she was holding; though in the back of her mind she already knew who it was._

_It was Impa._

_The Sheikah appeared to be in extreme pain._

_Her eyes were clamped shut and she was clutching at her chest like it ached, her breaths coming in short gasps or groans._

* * *

"Impa…"

Impa watched the sleeping Zelda who had finally conked out a few minutes ago and was asleep with her head in her arms, still sitting at the desk.

The Sheikah now understood why Zelda was having the dreams.

It wasn't because her memories and her ancestor's were crossing; it wasn't even because Impa had made contact with Zelda when she probably wasn't supposed to.

It was because Hylia's soul—the Zelda that Impa had known—had been only partially awakened when Impa had come into contact with her successor; the old Zelda was remembering that Impa had died a painful death and couldn't seem to move on from that fact.

Frowning slightly, Impa made a faint motion of her hands and the blanket that Zelda had brought from her room was draped over the princess's shoulders.

The Sheikah then leaned closer to Zelda and whispered, "I am no longer in pain, Your Grace."

Impa hoped that the sentence would help soothe Hylia's soul, allowing her to stop tormenting Zelda with memories that were not hers.

The Sheikah noticed how Zelda seemed to relax slightly, a small smile gracing the princess's face.

With a tiny smile herself, Impa glided toward the side of the desk and fluidly sat down, closing her eyes as she crossed her legs to meditate.


	11. Guarded by the Past

Zelda woke up for once without the sun attacking her face, but she could still tell that it was early morning.

With a small yawn, Zelda straightened and rubbed her eyes, ignoring her back protesting the awkward sleeping position. She noticed immediately that Impa was siting to her left, her back facing the princess.

"You…protected her."

"Yes," Impa slowly opened her eyes. "I did."

"But you…died."

"You must understand, Your Grace," Impa turned her head to look at Zelda, expression as detached as always. "I was prepared for death every moment I traveled with Her Grace."

"But…" Zelda frowned slightly, her ears lowering. "But that still isn't fair."

Impa stared at Zelda for a few seconds, her crimson orbs still impassive, before she finally looked away.

"I know…" she murmured quietly.

* * *

Upon her father's request, Zelda reluctantly joined the king for breakfast.

Impa silently stood behind Zelda's chair, as if to give her support, as the two ate without a word.

Of course, the Sheikah could tell that Zelda was having trouble trying to maintain her composure while she ate.

Of course after being at the lake house for about two weeks, it was only natural that Zelda didn't want to eat slowly and with poise; it was slowly killing her inside hat she even had to in the first place.

"So, how is Link?" the king suddenly asked.

"Huh?" Zelda glanced up from her staring contest with her breakfast in surprise. "Oh, uh, he's fine."

"That is good," the king nodded as he glanced at his daughter in an almost sly manner. "He hasn't…tried anything, has he?"

Horrified at the hidden meaning behind her dad's words, Zelda choked on her forkful of eggs before she glared at her dad once she had regained her composure.

"Father!" she protested. "We're friends! Nothing more!"

_And he's my cousin! _Zelda added in her mind.

"May I please be excused?"

Without even waiting for a response from her dad, Zelda stood and strode from the dining area.

"Does your father not know that you and Link are related?" Impa questioned as she trailed after the frustrated Zelda who was heading back to the library.

"Not at all," Zelda shook her head. "And I'm going to keep it that way as long as possible."

* * *

Zelda gave an annoyed huff as she turned another page of the ancient, leather bound book that she was reading, her chin resting on the desk.

It had only been a few hours after breakfast and Zelda had already looked through several books; it all ended the same—nothing.

_I'm never going to find something to break the curse. _Zelda thought miserably as she turned another page.

**Resurrection.**

Surprised, Zelda lifted her head slightly, staring at the word before her.

_Isn't resurrection…bringing someone back from the dead?_

Gradually, Zelda glanced at Impa who sat nearby, an open book in front of her.

Zelda looked back at the book and stared at the title for a few seconds before she grinned.

_This…could work._

Excited, Zelda began reading.

_Resurrection is a tricky subject; many have tired, but few have actually managed to accomplish it._

_The items needed for a resurrection differ._

Annoyed, Zelda began skimming the paragraphs, searching for something important.

**Resurrection for a cursed.**

Zelda smiled.

Yeah. That was what she needed.

_To find the items to begin the resurrection for one who has been cursed, you must search underneath a vast lake, inside the sanctum of the piscine people, within a deep forest, inside a burning mountain, and across a scorching desert._

_Below the waves of a loch in an area of a time gone by is the glittering scale dropped by a great water dragon._

_Inside the piscine abode is a special fish whose tail is sacred, but whose flesh reeks._

_Within the vast, tangling forest, inside a giant tree is the spider of gold; grab its body._

_In the melting mountain, talk to the rock-eater who bears name to a special person and take a piece of his shell._

_By an oasis sits a flower that has survived time itself; but be warned—so has another desert creature._

_To complete the spell, a drop of blood from a hero and a goddess are needed to help destroy the evil the curse has wrought._

Zelda began writing down the places the paragraph mentioned before she suddenly noticed something.

_These sound like the five provinces!_ She realized as she wrote down the region that she was reminded of. _Lake Hylia, Zora's Domain, Lost Woods, Death Mountain, and Gerudo Valley._

Zelda jotted down the items that she needed, grinning to herself.

_Could this really be that easy?_

* * *

Around lunchtime, Zelda headed back to the lake house, much to her father's disappointment, but the princess did not want to spend lunch with her dad.

As Zelda neared the house, she spotted Link coming out of it.

"Where are you going?" she asked as she stared at his clothes; thankfully he wasn't wearing his tunic.

"If we're having anything for dinner tonight, then I need to get some foodstuff," Link said as he walked past his cousin. "So I'm heading to Castle Town for a bit."

"You know that I could have picked up some things."

"Yeah, but I had no way to contact you," Link waved his hand as he got farther away. "Anyway, whatever's in there you can have for lunch. Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone."

"I won't!" Zelda waved back at Link when she saw him glance at her seriously as if to get his point across.

Once she was certain he was out of range, she grinned and headed inside the house.

"Your Grace, what are you doing?" Impa questioned as she observed Zelda quickly shimmying out of her dress and into her normal shorts and shirt, pulling off her cap to allow her hair to cascade down.

"Nothing," Zelda responded rapidly, pulling the Zora tunic over her head before picking up the quiver full of arrows and strapping it to her back.

"This is not nothing, Your Grace," Impa commented as Zelda rested the bow against her shoulder. "What are you doing?"

"I'm just going into Lake Hylia," the princes sighed as she began to head outside.

"Armed?" Impa inquired with a raise of her eyebrow, following closely behind Zelda. "Why?"

"Better safe than sorry, right?" Zelda paused at the lake's shore and faced Impa with a smile. "I'll be back, all right? I'm just going to look for something."

Before Impa could even question what it was that Zelda was searching for, the princess had already leaped into the water.

Worried, the Sheikah watched as Zelda swam into Hylia's depths then glanced to her left where the Sealed Grounds was hidden by the large rock.

She could see the barrier covering the area, preventing her from joining Zelda to protect her.

Impa moved closer to the barricade, keeping her eye on the gliding Zelda.

* * *

_I gotta hand it to the Zora…_Zelda thought as she swam even deeper into the lake. _They did a bang up job with this tunic. No wonder Link adores it._

Zelda paused and straightened herself, kicking her legs to keep herself steady, as she stared at a wall that appeared to be made of multiple brown stones stacked together.

_Huh…has Link noticed this before?_

Swimming closer to the wall, Zelda spotted a small hole that was large enough for her to squeeze through.

Gazing at the wall for a few more seconds, Zelda finally shrugged and slipped through the gap with little trouble, emerging into an area that she had never seen before.

She stared around the area in awe, peering at the gigantic boulder just inches above her head.

_Is this the Sealed Grounds that Impa told me about?_

Zelda glanced down at the bottom of the area before she frowned and began heading down.

The water got colder as she reached the depths and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up despite being underwater.

Cautiously, Zelda glanced around as she hovered just a few inches from touching the ground.

Something…was there with her. Something evil.

"Well, hello, Hylia," a chilly voice greeted from somewhere behind Zelda. "Fancy meeting you here."

Zelda rapidly gazed behind her to see a large figure standing near the beginning of the sloping land a few feet away.

She scowled as she recognized the form.

"Demise."

Demise smirked, still wielding his sword in his right hand before he let his gaze drift upward.

Impa gasped slightly when she noticed that Demise appeared to be staring straight at her.

"Oh, you're still here?" the demon asked with a cruel grin. "How have you been, little guard dog?"

Impa scowled, her gaze turning piercing.

He was mocking her.

Demise stared back at Zelda.

"And what about you, Your Grace? What brings you down to my level?"

"You're not even alive," Zelda replied, feeling more confident than she probably should have, being faced with the powerful demon. "You're just a fragment of his soul. You're not as strong as the original."

Demise grimaced slightly.

"Well, if you're so self-assured of your prowess, you wouldn't disagree to a battle with me."

_I have to search for the item that's probably down here… _Zelda thought, resisting the urge to look around for whatever it was that she was searching for. _But his arrogance grates on my nerves; I'd like to knock him down a peg or two._

"Sure."

With a wild grin, Demise raised his left hand and Zelda began to notice that the water level in the area was gradually beginning to decrease.

Zelda sighed as her feet touched solid ground and she gazed around in fascination, wondering how Demise had done such a thing without affecting the rest of the lake.

Demise growled, catching the blonde's attention, who frowned as she slid the bow from her shoulder and equipped an arrow.

The two stared at each other, waiting for the other to move.

Zelda finally released the arrow, but Demise lazily held up his sword to deflect the weapon.

Annoyed, Zelda reached back for another arrow only to quickly dodge to the side when Demise suddenly rushed at her, swinging his thick sword.

With a small hiss, Zelda stared at the superficial cut on her bare left arm before she glared at Demise and nocked three arrows.

She loosed them, but as she had predicted Demies used his blade to block them.

When the demon had lowered his sword, Zelda had already let loose another arrow.

Demise grunted when the arrow pieced his left shoulder which jerked back from the force of impact.

The demon snarled as he yanked the shaft out, snapping it in half and glared furiously at Zelda who smirked.

Zelda readied three more arrows when she suddenly noticed something glittering behind Demise in a small patch of grass.

She narrowed her eyes slightly, trying to see what laying the grass, before she released the arrows.

Demise laughed as he deflected the arrows once more, amused by Zelda's predictable tactics.

"Is this all you have, Hylia?" he questioned delightedly as he slowly dropped his sword down. "This is all too easy."

Demise's eyes widened when he noticed Zelda directly in front of him.

Impa gasped when she saw how close Zelda was to Demise.

"Your Grace, what are you doing?" she inquired, placing her hands against the barrier only to hiss and pull back when it shocked her.

Zelda used the flat of Demise's blade to get into the air, her foot connecting with the demon's forehead to vault herself over Demise and behind him.

Zelda landed neatly on her feet next to the sparkling item she had seen and rapidly grabbed it.

It was a blue scale of some sort that looked like it would have radiated with an otherworldly light, but the scale had long since lost its ability.

With a grim smile, Zelda placed the scale in her pocket then rapidly rolled out of the way when she heard a furious yell.

Immediately hopping to her feet, Zelda glanced down at her side, noticing that the edge of Demise's sword had cut right through the Zora tunic.

"You know Link's gonna kill me when he finds out what happened to this? !" Zelda questioned indignantly as she glared at Demise who was staring at her fiercely.

The princess nocked two more arrows, this time merging some of her power into the metal tips.

Light Arrows.

Zelda wanted to finish the battle.

With an enraged growl, Demise charged at Zelda, raising his black blade above his head.

When the demon was several feet from where she stood, Zelda fired the arrows and watched in satisfaction as they embedded themselves deeply into Demise's chest and stomach.

With a gurgling groan, the demon sluggishly brought down his sword, the sharp tip lightly cutting a diagonal slice into Zelda's collarbone, splitting the tunic even more.

Demise clutched at his chest as the magic from the arrows began to destroy his body.

"You will regret ever planning this!" the demon hissed as he glared at Zelda hatefully.

Zelda watched impassively as the demon's body shattered in a scattering of light before she stuck out her tongue.

"That was for Impa, you bastard."

Impa sighed with mild relief when Zelda gave a thumbs up as if she knew that the Sheikah was watching.

That was when Impa noticed something.

"Your Grace!"

Zelda glanced down when she felt frigid water around her ankles and gasped as she recognized that the water was swiftly rising.

The Sealed Grounds was starting to replenish the liquid that Demise had displaced.


	12. Secure

As the water swiftly covered her head, Zelda started toward the gap that she had come in through before the Sealed Grounds could completely fill up.

With the rips in the Zora tunic, Zelda knew that it wouldn't help her breathe underwater anymore; it was completely useless.

She also noticed how frigid the water was.

"Your Grace!" Impa cried as the area became utterly saturated.

The Sheikah could see Zelda beginning to struggle and slow down.

There was no way that she would make it in time before her oxygen ran out; she would drown.

Impa had to go and rescue her!

The ghost placed her hands against the barrier, ignoring how it instantly began to burn her hands, and started pushing all her weight against the barricade, attempting to break it.

Her protective instincts were kicking in as Zelda clutched at her throat, unable to breathe, and the Sheikah started punching the barrier, hoping that with the remnant of Demise's death the barrier would be weakened enough to shatter.

Suddenly, a brilliant radiance enveloped Zelda and Impa became surprised when the blonde vanished.

"Your Grace?!" Impa frantically searched the water, silently refusing to believe the feelings that she was currently experiencing.

She was_ not_ panicking.

The sound of harsh coughing and gasping caused the Sheikah to whirl around, spotting a drenched Zelda curled up on the ground several feet away.

"Your Grace!" Impa instantly rushed toward Zelda as the blonde slowly pushed herself into a sideways sitting position, still coughing and shivering. "Are you all right?"

"Y-yeah…" Zelda mumbled, her teeth chattering. "I'm f-fine…"

The blonde suddenly noticed the scorch marks on Impa's hands.

"Y-your hands…" Zelda shivered, wrapping her arms around herself to try and stop shivering. "They're b-burned."

"It's nothing," Impa replied, dropping her hands by her sides, not realizing that she had raised them, and closed her hands to shield them from Zelda. "They will heal. For now we should—"

"Oh, my goddesses, Zelda," a voice cried. "What happened?!"

Zelda turned her head to the right to see a frantic Link trotting toward her, a large pack on his back.

"Oh-h...h-hey, Link…" Zelda gave a shaky grin, trying not to shiver in front of her cousin.

"Why are you soaking wet?" Link asked as he knelt beside Zelda which caused Impa to quietly slide back a few feet. "The Zora tunic should—"

The blonde paused when he saw the small tear in the left side of the tunic as well as the long one near the collar.

"My Zora tunic! What the hell happened to it?!"

"S-some Stingers attacked me and their t-tails cut the Zora tunic…" Zelda lied.

"How the hell deep did you go? Don't you know that the tunic not only helps you breathe underwater, but keeps your body temperature regular since Lake Hylia is freezing near the bottom?"

"S-sorry…"

Link sighed, shaking his head as he stood up and began helping Zelda to her feet.

"Know what? All that matters is that you're safe. Those Stingers annoyed me, too."

"I th-thought you hated the ReDeads," Zelda joked with a slight smile as they entered the house.

Link shivered as Zelda dropped the quiver and bow next to the door, "Those things deserve to be hated!"

Link lead his cousin into the study and sat her down on the couch.

"Take off your shirt. Let me go get some bandages and antiseptic since your cuts appear to be infected."

Zelda nodded wearily, exhaustion abruptly washing over her.

Once Link had left the room, Impa quietly asked, "What are ReDeads?"

"They're very creepy monsters that look like emaciated zombies," Zelda explained simply as she pulled off the Zora tunic and the shirt that she had worn beneath it.

Link came back a few seconds later with some bandages, a green salve, and a pair of dry clothes for Zelda; the princess noticed that Link had relieved himself of the large pack that had been on his back a few moments before.

He began smearing a small amount of salve on the cuts, not at all embarrassed by the fact that Zelda was half-naked.

Link and Zelda had taken numerous baths together when they had been kids so it didn't bother Link anymore; or rather it wasn't that they had shared the bath. It was more like Zelda had hopped in with Link without asking permission.

After bandaging her arm, side, and chest, Link stood up as Zelda yanked on the dry shirt.

"I'll go get some red potion to help the infection and keep any chances of fever down, okay?"

Zelda once again nodded and when Link jogged out of the room she changed her shorts then snuggled up on the couch.

"Hey, Zel…" Link stopped when he noticed that Zelda was curled up on the sofa, fast asleep.

Link sighed.

"She's asleep…"

The blonde shook his head, placing the bottle of red potion on the small table beside the couch.

"Oh, well. I guess she can take the red potion tomorrow."

Link gathered up Zelda's wet clothes, staring sadly at his Zora tunic for a brief second before he walked out of the room.

Once Impa was certain he was gone, she dragged off the blanket resting over the back of the sofa and draped it over Zelda to help keep her warm.

The Sheikah then positioned herself at the other end of the couch and began to mediate as she waited for Zelda to awaken.

* * *

Zelda slowly opened her eyes and then stretched out along the sofa with a groan, extending her arm out in front of her.

She peeked over the arm of the couch, staring out the window beside the front door.

It was dark outside so Zelda suspected that she had been asleep for a good several hours.

_Guess I was more exhausted than I thought…_Zelda thought as she rubbed one of her eyes, leaning against the sofa's arm.

She noticed the dark blue blanket over her and glanced to her left, spotting Impa sitting on the ground in front of the sofa with her eyes closed.

_Is she asleep? _Zelda wondered, curiously staring at the still Sheikah.

"You are awake," Impa suddenly said, causing Zelda to jump slightly in surprise.

"I'm sorry," the blonde muttered quickly. "Did I wake you?"

"No," Impa replied, gradually opening her eyes though her expression was distant. "I was…remembering."

Zelda frowned a little, her inquisitive nature piqued, but she refrained from asking what the ghost had been recalling; if it hadn't been a pleasant memory, Zelda didn't want her to relive it.

Pulling off the blanket, Zelda slid down from the couch and sat down beside Impa who glanced at her with mild questioning.

Zelda wrapped the blanket back around her shoulders and threw one side over Impa as well, not at all fazed when the blanket crumpled to the floor.

The princess then positioned herself as close to Impa as possible, ignoring how the air seemed to become a bit colder, and leaned her head against the sofa cushion as she closed her eyes and fell back asleep.

Impa glanced around as if wondering if anyone was watching them before she stared back down at Zelda who appeared to be quite peaceful with a small smile on her face as she slept.

The Sheikah allowed a faint grin with a short exhale of breath before turning her head away and shutting her eyes, continuing her meditation.

Impa fondly remembered that the Zelda she had known during her time had also snuggled next to her whenever they had rested as if trying to encourage both herself and Impa to feel secure in whatever strange and dangerous land they had arrived in.


	13. Attack of the Slingshot

Zelda was outside, carefully brushing Epona while Impa stood beside her and quietly watched.

Link was inside making lunch for himself and Zelda; he didn't tell her what it was going to be, just that it was a stew of some sort.

"There you go, Epona," Zelda murmured as she finished combing the mare's mane. "What a good girl. Here you go."

She held out a sugar cube to Epona who eagerly snatched it from her open hand, munching on it happily.

"That's all I have, girl," Zelda chuckled when Epona inquisitively nudged her, sniffing for more of the sweet treats.

"If you give her too much, she'll get lazy," a voice commented from behind Zelda.

Impa instantly went on guard, but paused when she noticed the sixteen-year-old male standing a few feet behind Zelda.

His hair was blonde with a fringe of it falling over his left eye and the single eye that was visible was a deep crimson.

_A Sheikah? _Impa wondered as she relaxed slightly, watching as Zelda turned to face the newcomer.

"Sheik!" Zelda gleefully squeezed her brother in a hug. "What are you doing here?"

"I got a slight break in my mission," Sheik replied as Zelda pulled back. "So I decided to visit you and Link."

"That's wonderful!"

Sheik nodded lightly before his eyes landed on Impa.

He blinked as he continued to stare at her before he frowned a little underneath his cowl, his eye narrowing.

_Can he see me? _Impa pondered in mild surprise as she raised an eyebrow.

Sheik imitated Impa's eyebrow raise before he glanced at Zelda.

"Zelda—"

The front door to the house suddenly flew open and an eager Link poked his head outside.

"I heard Sheik," he said, looking around.

When his eyes rested on Sheik he grinned.

"Sheik!"

Link joyfully leaped at the Sheikah, tackling him in a hug.

"I missed you!"

"It…it's good to see you too, hero," coughed Sheik, practically getting strangled in the blonde's death grip.

Zelda smirked as Link continued to smother Sheik while Impa frowned slightly, puzzled.

Link finally realized what he was doing and hastily pulled back with an embarrassed blush.

"I-I'm sorry, Sheik."

"It is all right, hero."

The two lapsed into awkward silence as they glanced off into separate directions.

Zelda resisted the urge to smack her forehead at how stupid the two were acting.

"I'm going inside," Zelda announced, pointing toward the house.

She was ignored.

Annoyed, Zelda huffed and stomped toward the house, Impa dutifully following behind her.

"Your Grace, are you certain it is all right to leave them like that?" Impa asked softly as Zelda strolled into the kitchen, pulling the bubbling stew off the fire.

"Ahh, they'll come to their senses soon enough," Zelda responded, dumping two spoonfuls of stew into a bowl before sitting at the table.

Impa gazed outside as the blonde ate, noticing that Link and Sheik were still staring off into space.

"Your Grace…" Impa started. "Did you notice that Sheik appeared to be staring at me?"

"Really?" Zelda asked in mild boredom, though it wasn't directed at the Sheikah. "I wouldn't be surprised; Sheikah can apparently see the 'truth'."

"Truth?" Impa echoed.

"Yeah. Link got this Eye of Truth thing in the Kakariko well and it allows him to see invisible walls and stuff; it was apparently crafted from some Sheikah dude's eye. I really don't know." Zelda waved her hand lazily. "Nor do I care."

"I…suppose I understand," Impa said as she gazed back outside and blinked when she noticed that Sheik was scrutinizing her.

The Sheikah narrowed his eye slightly before he turned his head away, observing Lake Hylia.

"Does he hate Sheikah?"

"Huh?" Zelda raised an eyebrow as she glanced at Impa. "No. But the only living Sheikah are himself and his aunt."

"What happened to the other Sheikah?"

"The Gerudo happened," Zelda replied as she stood up.

Impa remained silent as she watched Zelda place her empty bowl in the sink before she trailed after Zelda who had begun to head upstairs.

Zelda walked toward the guest bedroom and instantly went toward the window which overlooked the front of the house.

"They still haven't moved?" she whispered as she noticed that Link and Sheik stood in the same spot as where she had left them. "They're dying out there; why doesn't one of them do something?"

Frustrated, Zelda glanced down and spotted something underneath the nearby chair. Curiously, she crouched down and pulled out what she had seen.

"It's Link's slingshot…"

Zelda stared at the weapon for a few seconds before she grinned wickedly, opening the window and taking out a Deku nut from the small bag that rested beside the slingshot.

"Ow!" Link placed a hand against the back of his neck when he felt something bite him.

"What's the matter, hero?" Sheik asked, glancing at Link to see the blonde rubbing his neck with a confused look.

"Something bit me…."

"Let me see," Sheik said, stepping closer to Link and brushing his hair to the side to expose the skin. "Right here?"

When Sheik touched the back of his neck with his fingers, Link shivered.

The Sheikah instantly pulled back.

"Did I hurt you?"

"No…it's just that your fingers are cold."

"Ah, sorry."

Link remained still as Sheik resumed touching his neck, blushing faintly as he thought about how lame his excuse for the shudder had been.

Grinning at how close the two were, Zelda prepared another Deku nut.

Sheik instantly made a grab at something and opened his hand to find a Deku nut.

"I believe this is what bit you," Sheik announced, showing the seed to Link.

"A Deku nut?" Link asked before horror dawned on his face. "Oh, goddesses, Zelda found my slingshot."

"Rapid fire assault!" shouted Zelda.

Sheik nimbly stepped back as several Deku nuts bombarded Link's back and arms.

When the attacked ceased, Link crumpled to the ground with a groan.

"And you're the hero?" Sheik questioned with a raised eyebrow.

Link gave a thumbs up in response.

Zelda fired one last Deku nut at her cousin, squarely striking where no man should ever be hit.

"Oooh, my tenders," the hero squeaked, curling in on himself as he clutched his wounded manhood. "Nice shot, Zelda."

Zelda tossed the empty slingshot at Link, hitting his forehead.

Sheik gave a suffering sigh as Link continued to groan in pain.

_I have a crush on him, why?_ The Sheikah wondered.

Zelda grinned as she watched her half-brother help up Link while Impa observed the scene silently.

The Sheikah had to admit that this Zelda seemed fond of torturing her cousin; the Zelda that Impa had known would never have harmed Link on purpose.

"Hey, I just realized something…." Zelda suddenly muttered. "If Link is my cousin and Sheik is my half-brother, doesn't that technically mean that them being together is incest?"

Zelda watched as Link insisted that he was fine even though he was limping every so often.

A huge smile crossed her face and Zelda glanced at Impa.

"Did you see what I did? I brought them closer together!"

Impa smiled faintly, amused at Zelda's excitement of her strange accomplishment.

Zelda blushed softly when she noticed the minute grin, realizing that she really enjoyed the Sheikah's rare smiles.


	14. Still Out Here!

The next day Sheik left to continue his delayed mission.

To see off her brother's departure, Zelda woke up at daybreak (which Link asked, "You're getting up this early willingly?" and promptly got punched in the arm), leaving Impa to meditate at the foot of her bed.

After prying Link off Sheik (because it had been a minute and he was still hugging the Sheikah), Zelda gathered her brother in a bone-crushing embrace, picking him up off the ground slightly.

She told him to be safe or she would haunt him for the rest of his miserable life.

Sheik, of course, couldn't help but chuckle at the threat as he was finally released from his sister's vice grip.

Just as Zelda was about to back away, however, Sheik grabbed her arm to pull her close again.

"What?" she asked, wondering what Sheik wanted.

"Did you know that there was a patch of mist following you around all day yesterday?" Sheik questioned softly, making certain Link couldn't hear him.

Zelda frowned slightly, wondering what her brother meant, before she made an "oh" in realization as she understood that Sheik must have meant Impa.

"Yeah, I know."

"And you're okay with that?" Sheik asked, obviously confused.

"Yeah. She wouldn't harm me."

"She?" Sheik repeated, dumbfounded, before he sighed as he shook his head. "As long as you are fine with it."

Zelda smiled as Sheik began to step back.

"I will visit you guys when I am able," Sheik called as he started to head in the direction that lead to the entirety of Hyrule Field, patting Epona as he walked past her.

Zelda waved as Sheik vanished while Link waved frantically, calling out desperate goodbyes.

When the Sheikah was gone, Link pouted, apparently disappointed at Sheik's departure.

Zelda rolled her eyes at the hero's childish display before she began to head toward Hyrule Field's shortcut to Castle Town.

"Well, I'm heading out to Castle Town."

"Oh, no, you don't," Link said, grabbing Zelda's shoulders and pulling her back. "You're still sick."

"I am not sick anymore!" Zelda protested.

"Your immune system is weak; you could get sick again."

"I am not sick! It was only for a day!"

Not in the mood for an argument, Link put on his best pathetic expression.

"Please, just humor me."

Zelda groaned in exasperation, pulling free of her cousin's grasp and stomped over to the front of the house where she plopped down underneath the kitchen window, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Fine," she grumbled.

Link grinned. "Thanks, Zelda."

"I hate you," the princess snapped as Link walked past her.

"Love you, too," Link replied, disappearing inside the house only to reappear seconds later with his sword.

Zelda glowered, watching as Link sat down beside the study window and began to idly sharpen and polish his blade.

Annoyed, Zelda reached into the pocket of her shorts when she felt something poking her hip and pulled out thee scale she had retrieved from the bottom of Lake Hylia.

Curiously, Zelda began to run her hand over the scale as she inspected it.

It wasn't a blue like she had originally thought; it was a pale green.

It had a jagged bottom, indicating that it must have been torn somehow from the dragon that it had come from.

A hoop of blue string was attached to the top of the scale with a small piece of what appeared to be red coral connected to the side.

Zelda flipped it over, sliding her fingers down that side before she replaced the scale in her pocket and sulked.

Now she was bored and she didn't want to interrupt Impa from her meditation.

To relieve her boredom, Zelda began to vacantly pull at the grass beside her.

"Oh, look, a cucco," Link suddenly said.

Zelda looked up to see a cucco lazily pecking at the ground several feet away.

Link stared at the white bird for a few more seconds before he resumed polishing his sword.

With a small smile, Zelda began to feel around her without taking her eyes off the cucco and her hand soon grasped a tiny rock.

The cucco raised its head when something stuck its back and stared at the two Hylians who weren't even looking towards it.

When she was certain that the chicken wasn't focused on them, Zelda tossed another pebble at the cucco.

With a soft snort, the cucco glared at the two Hylians who were still not paying attention to it. A bit annoyed, the cucco continued scavenging for food.

Sensing that the cucco was on the edge of full-blown rage, Zelda stood up and began to slowly back toward the house.

Link glanced up when his cousin opened the front door.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Inside," Zelda responded as she paused at the threshold before flinging a third stone at the cucco.

Link looked toward the bird when he heard it screech and spotted it rushing toward him, furiously flapping its wings.

The blond instantly leaped to his feet and bolted toward the house only to slam into the front door as Zelda shut it.

"Zelda? !" Link questioned, placing his hands against the door when he heard the lock click.

"Sorry, you're on your own!" Zelda giggled from the other side of the door.

"Zelda!" the hero yelled as he pounded frantically on the door, quickly glancing behind him only to scream as the cucco jumped at him.

Zelda chuckled to herself, leaning her back against the front door as she listened to the cucco's enraged squawks and Link's pathetic yelps.

"What is all the racket down here?"

"Impa!" Zelda gasped as she spotted the ghost gliding downstairs.

Rapidly, Zelda stepped in front of the window beside the front door to block it.

"What brings you down here?"

"I heard screaming and thought you were in trouble," the Sheikah explained. "However you appear to be perfectly fine."

Impa stared at the lower corner of the window when a hand slapped against it.

"Is that Link?" she asked as the hand slowly slid down the window, nails scratching the glass.

Inquisitively, Zelda opened the front door and poked her head outside.

A haggard Link lay face down on the ground with a peaceful cucco resting on his back.

"I haattee you…." The blonde moaned, his voice muffled by the grass.

With a grin, Zelda ruffled her cousin's hair.

"Love ya, too," she chirped before skipping inside the house and shutting the door behind her.

It was silent for a few seconds, the cucco pecking at Link's hair before the hero shouted, "I'm still out here!"


	15. Start of an Adventure

The next day, immediately after breakfast, Zelda changed out of her pajamas and into black shorts, a torn, dingy sky blue t-shirt, and placed a brown cap on her head, stuffing all her hair underneath it so to others she appeared as a boy.

"See you later, Link," the blonde chirped as she skipped past the study where Link sat reading a book.

"Where are you headed in such a happy mood?" Link asked, glancing up from the pages of the book.

"To Castle Town," Zelda replied as she opened the front door. "I'll be back in a few hours."

Link watched as the front door shut before he shrugged and resumed reading.

A sudden impatient neigh started Link who jumped in alarm and whirled to look behind him.

Epona had stuck her head through the open window and was staring at the Hylian with a slight pout, ears pinned back.

"Oh, right," Link chuckled, understanding what the mare wanted. "I said I'd ride you around Lake Hylia, didn't I?"

Epona snorted in annoyance.

"All right, all right, I'm coming."

* * *

"And what are we doing today, Your Grace?" Impa inquired as she silently followed behind the cheerful Zelda.

"We're gonna look around Castle Town and just…you know, look at stuff," Zelda grinned as she turned around so she was walking backward, placing her hands behind her back. "Maybe we'll find something interesting!"

Impa slowed to a stop as a memory entered her mind.

"_So that's where the Gate of Time is?" Zelda questioned as she stared at the looming structure coming ever closer to her and the Sheikah trailing behind her._

"_Yes," Impa replied with a nod, keeping a good two foot distance between herself and Zelda. "That is where we will depart for the past."_

_A slow smile spread across the Skyloftian's face and she gave a giggle, turning around to face the Sheikah and placing her hands behind her back._

"_Well, come on, slowpoke!"_

Impa chuckled as the memory faded, the same response that she had given the goddess reborn that day.

Zelda paused at the drawbridge leading to the city, puzzled by the Sheikah's reply.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"It is nothing, Your Grace," Impa answered with a shake of her head.

Zelda pouted a little, raising an eyebrow, before she grabbed Impa's wrist and began pulling her into Castle Town.

"Well, come on!"

"It is not necessary to pull, Your Grace," Impa protested lightly, trying to ignore how the townspeople observed them curiously.

It was then that the Sheikah remembered that only Zelda and a few children could see her; so why were the adults looking at her?

"Your Grace," the guardian started, "I suspect that your touch has turned me…."

What was the correct word to use? Tangible? Visible?

"Corporeal temporarily."

"Cool," Zelda grinned, glancing at Impa briefly as she switched her hand from the Sheikah's wrist to actually grasping her hand. "Now I don't have to worry about people thinking I'm crazy when I talk to you."

Impa noticed how the princess had intertwined their hands and despite the little nagging voice at the back of her mind that told her this was indecent, the Sheikah couldn't ignore the soft blush that crossed her cheeks.

"Y-your Grace…" The guardian murmured as Zelda continued to lead her in a random direction.

Zelda allowed her eyes to travel around, searching for anything interesting as she easily weaved her way through the crowd.

Suddenly, the princess stopped with a gasp.

"Look at that!" she said, pointing toward a large cage where a considerable amount of birds flew, roosted, or hopped around. "Let's check it out!"

Before Impa could respond, she was dragged toward the cage where a man in his early thirties stood by the closed door.

The man's black hair was tied in a ponytail and his eyes were an emerald shade.

A long scar spanned the bridge of his nose and he wore a strange red cloak that wrapped around his front where his right arm rested against the sleeve of the cloak.

"Good day, ladies," the man greeted with a smile. "My name is Rikshier. Would you like to go inside?"

"We can go _inside_?" Zelda questioned in surprised eagerness.

"Of course. My birds love people," Rikshier unlocked the cage door and ushered the two inside, shutting the door once he had entered.

"How many birds are in here?" Zelda asked as she gazed around in awe at the myriad of colorful birds.

"50 of them," Rikshier stated proudly. "There are parrots, parakeets, sparrows, macaws, and lovebirds."

Zelda sighed in amazement, watching as several birds rested on the branches attached to the top and sides of the cage or even clung to the side of the enclosure itself.

"They're beautiful."

Impa also couldn't help but look around, not even noticing that Zelda had released her hand.

The birds that the Sheikah had seen in Faron were pretty, but these birds were magnificent.

Instead of being blue, pink, or yellow, some were blood red, black, grey, purple; several of the bird's plumage had a mix of colors just for one bird.

A bird with a green head and blue body landed on Zelda's left shoulder with a chirp, staring at her with jade green eyes.

"Oh, hello," the princess greeted, lightly stroking the bird's feathers.

"That's one of my lovebirds," Rikshier explained. "His name is Sora."

"What a beautiful name," Zelda said.

There was warble beside Impa's ear and she glanced at her right shoulder to see a bird with a white head and blue-green body roosting there, blinking ice blue eyes.

"And that is Sora's mate Yuki," Rikshier smiled. "Do you two know the myth behind lovebirds?"

Zelda shook her head while Impa and Yuki appeared to be having a staring contest.

"Lovebirds mate for life they live for about 10 years, 15 at the most. These two are 5, about in their early twenties in human years," Rikshier explained. "It is said that if two lovebirds who have already mated land on two people's shoulders then it is destined for the two the lovebirds graced to be together."

Zelda smiled while Impa started slightly.

The Sheikah then began to lightly tap her fingers against Yuki in an attempt to coax the bird off her shoulder.

After a few touches, the bird flew off her shoulder only to land on the opposite one.

"You take good care of Yuki, all right?" Zelda muttered, stroking Sora as Yuki pecked at Impa's fingers whenever the Sheikah attempted to discreetly shoo her away.

Sora chirped, peacefully closing his eyes as Zelda continued petting him.

* * *

After saying farewell to Rikshier, the two continued to explore Castle Town.

"Do you…believe in that myth?" Impa slowly questioned as she and Zelda made their way toward the center of town.

"Hmm…" Zelda placed her hands behind her back as she thought about her response. "Yeah, a little. I mean, it's not that hard to believe, right?"

Zelda glanced at Impa with a grin and the Sheikah gradually looked off to the side.

"Right," she replied.

It was a response she had used several times with Her Grace.

Zelda's smile twitched a bit as if she were going to smile wider before she stopped, staring ahead of her.

"Hey, what's going on?" she asked.

Impa gazed in the direction that Zelda was, noticing several people gathered in the plaza.

They were cheering, clapping, and a few were singing; music also played from somewhere nearby.

Curiously, Zelda pushed through the crowd so she could get up front.

Impa silently followed after though many people made room for her as if she were the plague.

"Oh, wow, there's a dance going on!" Zelda gasped as Impa came to stand beside her, watching several people dance around the open area the crowd had given them.

"It appears so," Impa replied, also observing the dancers.

Though the music was lively with the dancers matching the energetic pace, they still moved gracefully.

Impa had only known one other person to move so elegantly besides these people.

The music soon ended only to start up again, but this time at a slow, calming rhythm.

The dancers coordinated their pace to the beat, a few pulling the nearest opposite gender closer.

"Wow, that looks fun!" Zelda gasped. "We should go dance, too!"

"I think it is best if we just watch," Impa replied.

Zelda rolled her eyes with a snort before grabbing the Sheikah's wrist and pulling her toward the center of the square.

"Come on!"

"Y-your Grace…" Impa muttered as she noticed several people staring at them oddly.

"It's all right," the princess chuckled, placing the Sheikah's hands on her hips before standing on her tiptoes so she could wrap her arms around Impa's shoulders.

"And now we just sway…" Zelda murmured, resting her head against Impa's chest as she closed her eyes.

Something kept bothering her at the back of her mind as Impa watched Zelda, telling her to distance herself from the princess; this was way too close for a guardian to be to their charge.

But this Zelda wasn't the Sheikah's charge.

So it was different, right?

Cautiously, the Sheikah rested her chin on the top of Zelda's head, mimicking the blonde's movements.

Zelda smiled a little when she felt Impa's chin on her head, her grip around the Sheikah tightening slightly.

The two stayed like that for a while, completely ignoring the world around them.

"Oh, I'm sorry," someone muttered when they accidentally bumped into Zelda, causing both her and the Sheikah to pull apart in response.

Someone gasped, "Princess"

"It's the princess!"

Rapidly, Zelda felt her head only to find that her hat had fallen off, letting her hair free.

"O-oh, no…" she muttered before grabbing Impa's hand. "Come on. We should—"

"Zelda?"

Zelda winced as she released Impa's hand and slowly turned to face the king.

"Oh, hello, father."

The king stared at his daughter for a few seconds as if at a loss for what to say before he finally asked, "Zelda, what are you doing here? A-and dressed as a boy no less!"

He glanced at Impa.

"And with a Sheikah? Explain yourself, Zelda."

"I-I didn't know that you were here, father," Zelda muttered resignedly, scuffing her shoe against the ground. "You never watch these things."

"Why are you dressed in such clothes?" the king repeated sternly. "Letting the townspeople see you in such a state…"

"It is not Her Grace's fault, sire," Impa said. "She merely wanted to—"

"You stay out of this, Sheikah," the king hissed, giving a sharp glare in Impa's direction.

Impa blinked in surprise.

What had she done to deserve such hostility?

"I think it's about time you come home," the king sighed. "Your behavior as of late has been undignified and I blame myself for thinking that you were old enough to be on your own."

Zelda glowered at her dad.

"I am not a little girl anymore, dad," she said. "I'm seventeen! I can do what I want!"

"Once you are queen of Hyrule then you can think that. But until I retire or cease to exist, you will always be princess. And my daughter. As your dad, I want you to come back to the castle where you will spend the rest of the summer."

"You can't do that!" Zelda protested, stepping out of her father's reach when he made to grab her hand.

"I'm your father and you have to do what I say!"

Zelda frowned, tears appearing at the corners of her eyes.

"No!"

She turned and clung to Impa as she began crying.

The Sheikah awkwardly comforted the girl, glancing at Zelda's dad who looked very frustrated.

Impa knew that both she and Zelda wanted to leave Castle Town so she leaned closer to Zelda and whispered, "It will be all right. I want you to hold onto me tightly."

Zelda didn't need to be told twice, her grip instantly tightening and the Sheikah responded by wrapping her right arm around Zelda's back to support her.

With a final glance at Zelda's dad, Impa leaped backward, easily landing on the top of Castle Town's walls, before disappearing over the side.

* * *

Impa took the shortcut back to the lake house, not pausing in her fast sprint until she reached it.

The Sheikah set Zelda down, the princess now calm, only occasionally rubbing at her eyes.

"Th-thanks, Impa."

"It is no problem, Your Grace," the Sheikah replied, her form turning vaporous before she completely vanished.

A bit panicked, Zelda glanced around for any sign of the tall blonde, but couldn't spot her anywhere.

The princess frowned slightly, staring at Castle Town where she could see the castle at the far back before gazing out toward Hyrule Field.

* * *

It was cool that night.

Epona lay on the ground, her breath misting in the chilly air as she slept.

"Hey. Hey, Epona."

The mare snorted, raising her head and staring at Zelda sleepily.

The blonde wore her usual shorts and T-shirt with a small pack resting on her shoulders and the saddle beside her feet.

"Lookie what I have," Zelda waved a carrot, smiling. "A carrot just for you."

Epona scoffed, turning her head away and resuming her slumber.

Annoyed, but having expected such a reaction, Zelda reached into her pocket and pulled out a white cube.

"How about a sugar cube instead?"

Epona glanced at Zelda, staring at the sugar cube.

"All you gotta do is stand up."

Epona slowly climbed to her feet and inched closer to Zelda, the princess giving her the treat when the mare was within range.

"What are you doing, Your Grace?" Impa asked as she appeared behind Zelda who was saddling Epona.

"Oh, there you are!" Zelda turned to look at Impa with a grin. "You disappeared on me and I wondered where you went."

"The stunt I did must have apparently used up a lot of my energy and I had to rest," Impa explained, watching as Zelda slung the pack over Epona's flank. "What is in those bags?"

"Food, water, a map, the Goron tunic, fishing line, my mom's earrings, the scale, Sheik's harp, and the Ocarina of Time so Link can't follow me," Zelda explained simply.

"Why do you require all that?" the Sheikah questioned as Zelda pulled herself into the saddle.

Zelda grinned as she steered Epona toward Hyrule Field.

"I'm going on an adventure."


	16. Comforting Grasp

_Impa finished tying the short bandage around her left arm._

_The cut Ghirahim had given her had not been deep, but it had still bled quite a bit._

_The hero, Link, was outside, most certainly battling the demon lord and soon would face the real threat—Demise._

_But it was not Impa's destiny to aid in that battle; it was Link's alone._

_So whether the world was saved or fell into ruins was entirely on his shoulders._

_The Sheikah waited patiently for the red-haired boy—Groose?—to return with Zelda's body so that she could be placed into a safe place until her soul was returned._

_But that boy came back without Zelda, claiming she was okay and he was merely going back to his time to chat briefly with the old lady that he called Grannie there._

_It took all of Impa's willpower to not go outside and retrieve Zelda herself; the boy knew nothing of the danger Zelda was in without a protector, did he?_

_Groose came back practically a second later, flashing a thumbs up at the Sheikah as he trotted past._

_What was that sign?_

_Impa frowned slightly, watching silently as the boy exited the temple._

_Did that mean everything was all right?_

_It certainly must have for Groose had also smiled._

_Consoled slightly that Groose would return with Zelda this time, the guardian resumed waiting._

_The boy never returned._

_The Sheikah began to grow uneasy._

_Had he been attacked? He had no means to defend himself._

_Impa went toward the temple door and paused before it, placing her left hand against the rough stone._

_She was not meant to interfere in the final battle._

_But she wasn't interfering; she was merely checking on the red-head's health and protecting Zelda._

_Protecting the goddess incarnate was her duty._

_Slowly, Impa pushed the double doors open and stepped outside._

_Staring at the dark clouds overhead, the Sheikah sighed._

_It had been a while since she had left the temple and the world that Zelda was from had been so different than this one._

_Impa walked toward the edge of the spiral pit where the goddess statue had once presided and gazed down into it, searching for Groose and Zelda._

_She soon spotted them at the bottom of the cavity, the hero standing halfway in front of them with the Master Sword and Hylian shield drawn._

_A few feet away from the trio was the demon king Demise._

_Had the hero failed to defeat him?_

_Certainly not if Zelda was awake._

_ **Then he is just a remnant… ** _ _the Sheikah realized._

_The Demise fragment appeared to be talking to the three, a crackling orb of purple energy manifesting in his left hand._

_Impa gasped, taking a step forward._

_Link's shield would not deflect such an attack' he would be hit._

_The Sheikah had to go protect Hylia and her chosen hero._

_Before she even realized what she was doing, Impa began leaping down the sloping sides of the pit as Demise raised his hand above his head._

_The hero didn't even have time to raise his shield to defend himself as the sphere was sent toward him and his two friends._

"_No, Zelda!"_

_Impa dropped down in front of Link, directly in the path of the energy orb._

_Powerful electric currents raced through her body, knocking the Sheikah on her back and sending her skidding back several feet from the impact._

"_Impa!" Zelda yelled, instantly rushing toward the Sheikah's side and kneeling beside her._

_Link took a few steps back, his weapons still raised in preparation to attack._

"…_Impa?" the goddess incarnate nervously touched the shuddering Sheikah's arm before holding her guardian close, panic-stricken. "Impa? !"_

_Zelda then glared at Demise sternly._

"_What did you fucking do to her, Demise? !"_

_Groose was horrified at Zelda's sentence and even Link seemed alarmed, glancing at the blonde out of the corner of his eye; not once had he heard the girl swear._

_The demon king smirked at the Hylian's rage._

"_I told you I would curse you, did I not?" he questioned with a slight tilt of his head as if he found all of what was happening amusing. "It's a shame, though, that she stepped in the way. Who can blame her, though? She's just so loyal to Her Grace."_

_Impa slowly glared at the pleased demon king, gritting her teeth._

_Demise appeared surprised when a small knife lodged itself in his forehead and Zelda glanced down with a hopeful gasp to see Impa's arm still outstretched._

_"Begone, beast," the Sheikah hissed, struggling to keep her breathing steady even as the electricity continued painfully clamping down on her heart._

_Demise scowled as he gradually dissipated._

_Link hesitantly relaxed as Impa dropped her arm down before he sheathed the Master Sword and latched the shield to his back._

"_Wh-why would you do that?" Zelda sniffled, staring down at the Sheikah with teary eyes._

"_Because, Your Grace, it is my duty to protect you," Impa smiled softly, "and that is exactly what I did."_

_"But you're dying!"_

_"Another part of my task, Your Grace. It may not have been fate's original plan for me to perish here, but I had to fulfill my function as your guardian."_

_"B-but…" Zelda gave a small sob, the hot tears finally spilling over. "I promised to show you Skyloft…"_

_Impa frowned slightly, watching the blonde with mild remorse._

"_Do not cry, Your Grace. It does not suit you."_

"_B-but I don't want you to leave!" Zelda tightly hugged the Sheikah around the shoulders. "I want you to stay with me—with us!"_

_The blonde pulled back, staring at her friends desperately._

"_Th-there has to b-be something we can do!"_

_"Analysis indicates that she is slowly being killed from the inside," a monotonous voice intoned. "Nothing can be done to rescue her."_

_Impa slowly turned her head, wondering when her body had gotten so heavy and jaded, and stared at Fi who stood beside Link._

"_Hello, Fi," the Sheikah greeted with a faint smile. "It is wonderful to see you again."_

_The blue sword spirit gazed at Impa silently for a few seconds before she nodded once._

"_And you as well, Mistress Impa."_

_Link looked between the two, puzzled._

"_You two know each other?"_

"_Of course, Master Link," Fi replied, not taking her eyes off Impa. "Would you like one last performance, Mistress Impa?"_

"_That would be pleasant, Fi."_

_Fi nodded, giving a brief bow, before she began to dance._

_It was a simple dance, much like the ones Link had seen whenever his guide had interpreted the goddess's messages, but beautiful in its simplicity._

_It lasted only a minute and when it was finished, Impa smiled._

"_Magnificent as always, Fi."_

_A brief look of grief passed through the emotionless guide's eyes before she suddenly started to hum._

_It was a despondent tune, slow and haunting._

_Impa closed her eyes as she listened to the song, her ears picking up on the distinct sound of Link joining in with the goddess harp._

_The mourning song echoed through the silent area, becoming even more magnificent and eerie when Zelda joined in with her own voice, though hers remained soft and broken._

_The Sheikah continued to listen to the melody until it faded._

* * *

Impa started with a slight gasp, surprised.

She glanced around, noticing that she was still in the barn.

The Sheikah sighted softly, relaxing slightly.

She hadn't meant to retreat that deep into her meditation; recalling her death was not a high point on Impa's list.

"Impa?"

Impa glanced to the side to see Zelda sleepily staring at her over her shoulder.

"Did I wake you, Your Grace?"

Zelda continued gazing at the Sheikah before she turned over so she was facing Impa, shifting closer to the Sheikah and sliding her hand down until it barely touched Impa's legs.

Impa stared at Zelda's hand before she glanced at the blonde to see that she had gone back to sleep.

Gradually, the Sheikah slipped her left hand into Zelda's, giving a faint smile, before she resumed her meditation.


	17. Leave out all the rest

The sun was beginning to peek over the horizon and Impa could tell that it was around six.

"Your Grace," Impa said, easily keeping up beside Epona's steady gallop. "I suggest we rest; we have been going since the middle of last night."

"I at least want to reach Kakariko before we stop," Zelda replied, not even glancing at the Sheikah.

"Epona is exhausted, as are you."

Zelda slowed Epona to a stop, heaving a sigh.

The mare did appear to be tired as she breathed heavily, catching her breath before the blonde forced her to continue.

"All right," the princess conceded. "We'll rest."

Zelda gazed around the vast field.

"But not out here; it's too open."

"What about there, Your Grace?" Impa questioned, pointing to the right where a small house sat on a tall hill.

"Lon Lon Ranch," Zelda breathed, glancing briefly at Epona before beginning to lead the mare toward the farm. "Come on, Epona. I bet you want to see Malon again."

Epona nickered wearily in response.

* * *

The ranch was considerably large.

There was a barn to the right, a small house where Malon and her dad, Talon, lived to the left, and a huge pasture with a fenced-in area for the horses to run around in.

As Zelda and Impa entered the giant paddock, they spotted a girl Zelda's age throwing some food to the cuccos hopping around.

"Hey, Malon," Zelda greeted as she slid down from the saddle.

The red-head looked toward Zelda with a gasp.

"Princess?"

Zelda began to unbuckle the saddle from Epona as Malon nervously came closer.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm on a journey," Zelda grinned as she glanced at Malon. "You're like the halfway point to where I want to go, so I decided to stop here and rest."

There was a quiet snort from Impa and Zelda resisted the urge to elbow the Sheikah.

Malon smiled, clapping her hands together.

"That's wonderful! Father will be excited to have your company, princess."

"You can just call me Zelda," Zelda said, waving her hand dismissively as Epona lazily trotted toward the horses in the enclosure. "I really dislike being called princess."

"Of course, Zelda," Malon grinned again before she slowly glanced around in confusion. "Where's Link?"

"I didn't tell him where I was going," Zelda smirked before she frowned. "Don't even think about it; he's taken."

"Oh, I know," Malon giggled. "About a month ago he came here, dragging along a young man he called Sheik. He talked excitedly about him and I could tell from his face that he really liked Sheik."

Malon blushed as she mumbled, "Besides, I found someone I like in the market."

Zelda frowned slightly, but felt comforted that her cousin was safe and hung up the saddle on a nearby peg before glancing at Malon.

"So what's for breakfast?"

"Pancakes, bacon, and eggs," Malon replied as she began to head toward the house close by. "Follow me; it should be ready."

Zelda eagerly trailed after Malon while Impa followed silently behind the princess.

"And even though your visit was unexpected, dad makes enough food to feed an army."

* * *

After the very filling breakfast, Zelda made her way to the barn where she plopped down on a fresh pile of hay.

"You are taking a nap there?" Impa inquired curiously, wondering why Zelda would sleep on a mass of dry grass.

"Yup!" Zelda answered cheerfully as she curled up on her side, pulling some hay closer to her to use as a pillow.

Impa watched as the blonde fell into an easy sleep before she sat beside the small haystack to meditate.

* * *

_ **The sword Demise held vanished in a shattering of purple and black particles.** _

_ **It felt strange, watching Ghirahim disappear just like that; he had appeared so much stronger to Link.** _

_ **Demise was furious at his loss, however, vowing that his hate never perished and Link's kind—those close to the goddesses—would be forced to follow a blood-soaked sea of darkness for all eternity.** _

_ **The Demon King's remains were sealed up in the Master Sword.** _

_ **Link turned to leave, relieved that his long journey was finally over.** _

"_**And where do you think you're going, Sky child?" a voice questioned, causing Link to immediately stop in his tracks.**_

_ **The blonde turned, staring behind him.** _

"_**You're still alive?" he asked the white-haired demon standing several feet away from him. "How can that be?"**_

_ **Ghirahim appeared exhausted, his pointed ear lowered as he stared at Link somberly; the gold band around his right arm was beginning to crack, small pieces falling to the watery floor.** _

"_**If you could call this living," Ghirahim chuckled hollowly.**_

_ **Link scowled, drawing the Master Sword as he stalked closer to the weakened demon.** _

_ **Ghirahim abruptly fell to his knees as his legs gave out, startling Link.** _

"_**Thank you for freeing me, Link," Ghirahim stared up at the hero with a weak smile. "You kept your promise."**_

"_**Promise?" Link repeated warily as he paused a foot away from the sword spirit. "What promise?"**_

"_**I knew your ancestor. He promised me that he would free me from master's hold," Ghirahim kept his gaze steady as he stared at Link. "Because we loved each other."**_

_ **"You and my ancestor…?" Link questioned, trying to figure everything out. "But then why would you do all those things?"** _

_ **"You think that gold armlet was just for show? It was what kept me bound to master; I had no choice but to do those things."** _

_ **Link watched as Ghirahim unlatched the diamond earring attached to his ear.** _

"_**Take good care of this," the demon muttered. "It will keep you safe wherever you go."**_

_ **Ghirahim grabbed Link's hand, pulling him closer before placing the earring in the hero's palm.** _

"_**I have loved you for a thousand years and I'll love you a thousand more."**_

_ **Link stared down at the earring in his hand before he glanced up.** _

"_**Why would you—"**_

_ **The hero stopped.** _

_ **There was no one in front of him.** _

_ **He gazed down at the diamond once more before closing his hand around it.** _

"_**Ghirahim…."**_

* * *

"_Why would you show me that?" Link questioned as he stared at Ghirahim curiously._

_Ghirahim finally stepped out of the shadows, staring at the hero gloomily._

"_Because I am afraid that I can no longer remain here."_

_Link became surprised at the demon's words._

_"What, why?" he asked in panic._

"_You love that Sheikah boy," Ghirahim smiled weakly. "I know when to back off."_

_The demon stepped closer to Link who became aware of just how tall Ghirahim was._

"_Take good care of yourself and the spirit maiden," the sword murmured, dropping a hand on Link's head. "Goodbye for now, my little sky child."_

_Link gasped when Ghirahim began to glide backward, away from him._

"_Wait!"_

_He reached out for the demon, but he had already disappeared and the area began to slowly break and splinter._

* * *

Link opened his eyes with a small gasp and sat up, looking around his room.

He pouted slightly, his ears lowering before he glanced down at the blue pendant resting against his bare chest.

"At least I still have you, little pendant."

A tiny rupture appeared in the crystal's façade before it elongated, creating a long jagged fissure down the center of the pendant.

Link gasped softly before he frowned slightly.

"I'm gonna miss you, Ghira."


	18. A Shadow

"I wish you good luck on your journey, Zelda."

"Thanks, Malon."

It was near sunrise the next day and Zelda had already mounted Epona, ready to continue toward Kakariko and Death Mountain.

"And when you see, Link," Malon continued. "Tell him to not be a stranger and visit me and pa every so often with that Sheik boy."

Zelda chuckled, "I'll be sure to tell him that."

"Great!" Malon clapped her hands together as she grinned before she wagged a finger at Zelda. "Now that doesn't mean you can go without visiting us either, princess."

Zelda smiled wildly.

"Oh, don't worry. Next time those two visit here, you can be sure I'll be the one dragging them."

Malon smirked before giving a two-fingered salute that Zelda returned.

The princess then set Epona in a high speed gallop by kicking the mare's side, the horse rearing up on her hind legs briefly with a whinny before taking off.

"Bye, Zelda!" Malon called after the princess as she waved.

"Back in my day, princesses didn't go off on their own adventures," a brown-haired man with a crooked mustache grumbled as he paused near the entrance to the paddock, carrying a bucket and a pitchfork. "They waited for their "Prince Charming" to come rescue them."

Malon sighed, rolling her eyes and turning to face the man, placing her hands on her hips.

"Get back to work, Ingo."

Ingo scowled at the farm girl, his blue eyes narrowing, before he stalked toward the barn, dragging the pitchfork behind him as he muttered to himself.

* * *

As she got closer to Castle Town, Zelda slowed Epona to an easy trot, glaring at the castle as she went past.

She stuck her tongue out as she crossed over the small bridge spanning the shallow creek.

Zelda stopped Epona near a short set of stairs and hopped down, slipping off the packs on the mare's flanks.

"Now, you can wander around," Zelda said as she stared at Epona who watched her blankly, "but you can't go home. I don't want Link to find out what I'm doing."

"What are you doing?" Impa asked from behind Zelda; the Sheikah was ignored.

"In return, I'll slip you three sugar cubes after dinner for a year."

Epona nickered readily, bobbing her head up and down in agreement.

"Good girl," Zelda grinned, patting Epona's muzzle before she began to walk up the steps. "Come on, Impa."

"What exactly are you doing, Your Grace?" Impa questioned as she trailed after Zelda, glancing back at Epona to see the mare peacefully grazing on the grass close to the stream.

"Like I'm telling you," the princess chuckled.

Impa frowned slightly, a little put off that Zelda didn't trust her with whatever secret she was hiding.

The Sheikah momentarily forgot about her vexation as she and Zelda entered a small town.

It was a quaint place that had an atmosphere which told everyone that the citizens who lived there were family even though they weren't related.

There were multiple buildings that were houses or shops; there was even a tiny barn.

A decrepit well stood in the center of town and at the far back a trail lead to what appeared to be a cemetery while another path, guarded by a sentry, stretched toward a barren, rocky trail where a faint mountain loomed in the distance.

"Welcome to Kakariko," Zelda said as she headed in the direction of the barn. "The village of the Sheikah."

"But there are no Sheikah here," Impa pointed out as she glanced around. "Only Hylians."

"It used to have Sheikah," Zelda explained, "but they were all killed in the war between the Gerudo. The only Sheikah living here now is Impa and occasionally Sheik."

Impa glanced at Zelda as she opened the door to an abandoned house.

"My nursemaid."

"Ah," Impa muttered as she gazed around the quite home.

It had many shelves of books with a table in the center of the tiny area; a second level held the bed.

"Who lives here, Your Grace?" Impa inquired as Zelda set the packs down in the nearby corner.

"Aunt Impa," Zelda replied. "Oh, yeah, like that name. I'll just call her that from now on."

"There is very little here," Impa observed as Zelda went over to the fireplace and began to put clean wood into the hearth.

"She always was one for simplicity," the princess muttered, starting a fire. "Never understood it; it was a pain to live here for two years with nothing to do but chase cuccos."

"Why did you live here for two years?" Impa, who had been lightly skimming her hands over the spines of the books, paused and glanced at Zelda. "Did you not reside in the castle?"

"Ganondork took it over and wanted my Triforce piece and the ocarina; I hid here for two of the seven years during which Link slept."

Impa nodded in understanding as she resumed her examination of the house.

"Hey, Impa."

Impa paused, looking toward Zelda.

"Want me to show you around Kakariko?" Zelda smiled. "I have to pick up some supplies for the trip up to Death Mountain tomorrow anyway."

* * *

Zelda explained to Impa who lived in each house as the two trekked toward the shop that was near Kakariko graveyard.

"And this is the Skulltula house," Zelda clarified as she stopped next to a small, dusty home.

"Skulltula house?" Impa repeated, staring at the house with a slightly raised eyebrow.

"These people became greedy and this Skulltula cursed them, turning them into Skulltula and," Zelda shrugged, "I don't really know; Link didn't explain it that well."

Impa gradually followed after Zelda when she continued, not taking her eyes off the house.

"Link had to kill these gold Skulltulas and take the medal they left behind. He collected them from all over Hyrule and finally gathered enough to turn the family human again."

"Why would he do such a thing?"

"He felt bad for them, saying no one should ever be stuck in such a form," Zelda chuckled softly, shaking her head as she smiled. "His kindness is going to get him killed someday; I'm sure if he saw an injured Wolfos, he would go and help it."

"But the hero is supposed to be kind," Impa intoned gently, "and courageous; that is what makes him the hero."

"Sometimes, there is a thing as 'too kind'," Zelda put in before pausing, staring at the well. "That's the well."

Impa went closer to the well and stared down into it.

"There is no water," she noted, glancing back at Zelda. "Why?"

"It had water at one time," Zelda explained, "but Bongo Bongo broke free of the seal when the well dried up."

"Who is Bongo Bongo?"

Zelda shifted slightly, as if nervous about what she was going to say, before she muttered, "Some say he was a Sheikah who could see the truth. He became obsessed with dark magic or something and the villagers feared him so they cut off his hands and banished him to the well where he turned into a phantom beast, invisible to everyone. It is said that the well is where his house once stood."

"Hm," Impa glanced down into the well once more before she looked at Zelda. "I am uncertain if he is the same person, but there was a Sheikah during my time called Brock. He betrayed Hylia and as punishment he was banished after having his hands sliced off."

"Did he like dark magic?"

"He did seem to have a fascination with the powers of dark magic; it is quite possible he used what he learned to defy aging and to also mend his hands."

Zelda shivered slightly.

"It's hard to believe a Sheikah could get corrupted so easily."

Impa stepped up to Zelda and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"It is all right, Your Grace," the Sheikah murmured with a soft smile. "It was only one Sheikah. The rest are still very loyal to you."

Zelda frowned slightly, staring at Impa curiously.

"Why is it that you are so loyal to Hylia?"

"Because she is the—"

"No, not the Sheikah," Zelda shook her head. "You, Impa. You hold her in high regard; higher than any Hylian. Why?"

Impa's face softened, though it appeared grim, as she withdrew her hand.

"She saved me," the Sheikah whispered with a sad smile. "In more ways than one."

Zelda wanted to ask more—question exactly how Hylia had saved Impa—but something in the Sheikah's eyes told her not to pry any further.

The princess kept her mouth shut, nodding in understanding, and continued toward the potion shop with Impa silently trailing behind her.

* * *

"I'll take some water, a few slivers of that dried beef, 15 arrows, and that red potion," Zelda said, pointing to each item in turn.

The owner of the shop eagerly bobbed his head, gathering the items and placing them in front of Zelda.

"That will be 450 rupees, good sir."

Zelda was just about to reprimand the shop keeper before she stopped, remembering that she was wearing the same clothes that she had on during the dance; to others, she appeared as a boy.

The princess handed the keeper the money before picking up her supplies and exiting the shop.

"We should be set for tomorrow," Zelda muttered.

"What is down there, Your Grace?" Impa asked, gazing pas the gate that lead to the graveyard.

"Oh, that's the graveyard," Zelda explained. "At the far end is the Shadow Temple. Do you want to see it?"

The Sheikah nodded absentmindedly, already heading in the direction of the graveyard.

Zelda easily caught up to her and the two paused at the entrance to the cemetery.

Brown beings stood stock still in the graveyard, scattering throughout the area.

"Ugh, ReDeads," Zelda moaned with a shudder. "Why did it have to be ReDeads?"

"So these are the ReDeads of which you spoke," Impa murmured, heading toward the large tombstone nearby, the ReDead standing beside it completely ignoring her.

The Sheikah inspected the writing on the huge granite slab—it was obviously Hylian—trying to read what it said.

"Your Grace, what does this say?" Impa glanced at Zelda. "I cannot read it."

"It reads: R.I.P. Here lie the souls of those who swore fealty to the Royal Family of Hyrule. The Sheikah, guardians of the Royal Family and founders of Kakariko, watch over these spirits in their eternal slumber."

Impa gazed at the other graves in the cemetery before she stared up at the rickety fence blocking off a small ledge at the far end of the graveyard.

"Is that the Shadow Temple?"

Zelda nodded. "Yeah. It's where Link fought Bongo Bongo."

Zelda glanced around, staring at the setting sun for a brief second.

"Come on, let's go. It's creepy enough with the ReDeads here."

Impa silently nodded and turned, following after Zelda.

She paused at the cemetery's entrance however when she felt an ominous presence tingle down her spine and turned back slightly, staring at the Shadow Temple.

When she saw nothing out of the ordinary, Impa continued following after Zelda who was impatiently waiting for her.

"What were you looking at?" Zelda asked as the two headed back to the shadow sage's house.

"I thought I sensed something," Impa murmured, "but it was nothing."

An ink-like patch of fog appeared at the temple's entrance, watching the two leave with dark crimson orbs.

The blob narrowed its eyes slightly before darting back into the temple without a sound.


	19. Link of the Gorons

_The intense flames licked at all corners of the house, quickly consuming it like a ravenous beast._

_They huddled near the bed, the only spot in the room that wasn't ablaze._

_The husband held onto his wife who was clutching their four-year-old daughter._

"_Mama," the girl coughed, clinging to her mother's shirt. "I'm scared."_

"_Shh, it's okay," the woman soothed, stroking her daughter's short blonde hair. "There's nothing to be frightened of."_

_But she knew that the flames would soon reach them and they would burn to death._

_A figure appeared at the threshold to the bedroom and the man tensed, ready to fight off whatever creature had managed to entire their house._

_The form took a step into the room, revealing themselves as the goddess Hylia._

"_Your Grace…" the wife whispered as her husband relaxed._

_Hylia's long white dress passed through the crackling flames, but never caught alight and her pale blonde hair, which reached way past the middle of her back, flowed around her ankles._

"_Here," the woman coughed, holding her daughter out to the deity. "Please, save my daughter."_

_Hylia gradually took the young girl and nodded once before turning and exiting the room, keeping the child shielded from the flames and smoke._

"_Wait!" the girl cried, struggling to break free of Hylia's grasp. "Mama! Papa!"_

* * *

Impa opened her eyes with a soft gasp.

She remained still for a moment before she shook her head, closing her eyes briefly.

Why had she remembered that? Had it been because of what she had said to Zelda yesterday?

The groaning and cracking of wood still echoed in the back of her mind.

Impa relaxed, taking a deep breath before exhaling softly as she attempted to empty her thoughts.

The Sheikah then stood up and glanced behind her only to frown.

Zelda wasn't in the bed.

Was she perhaps already awake?

Impa looked over the small railing that overlooked the kitchen to see Zelda sitting at the table, happily eating breakfast.

The blonde suddenly glanced up at the Sheikah as if sensing her presence.

"Oh, hey, you're awake," Zelda grinned before she added teasingly, "Morning, sleeping beauty."

Impa blinked at the comment.

"_Morning, sleepin' beauty!"_

_"Your Grace…"_

_"I'm always up before you, Impa! You should learn to wake up earlier!"_

_"And you should learn to sleep in a bit later."_

Impa smiled faintly with a soft chuckle as she replied, "Good morning, Your Grace."

"Well, come on!" Zelda said as she stood up. "We got a big day ahead of us!"

* * *

"And where exactly are we heading, Your Grace?" Impa inquired as she followed after Zelda.

The blonde had attached her quiver to her back, her bow resting against her right shoulder, and had also slipped on the Goron tunic which was slightly baggy on her.

"To the Goron city in Death Mountain," Zelda chirped as she walked past the sentry guarding the gate leading to Death Mountain trail. "I need to talk with some of the Gorons to see if they know of the Goron named after a hero."

_A Goron city? _Impa stared up at the volcano in the distance. _Are there many Goron then?_

A red, four-legged creature spotted Zelda and immediately began hopping toward her.

Zelda, however, was faster than the monster, drawing out her bow and grabbing an arrow.

The creature squealed when an arrow pierced its single red eyes, slumping to the ground.

"Stupid Tektites," Zelda muttered as she strolled past the decaying monster. "I thought Link got rid of these stupid things."

Impa glanced at the Tektite as she walked past it, wondering what other strange monsters had popped up in the last few hundred years.

As they continued up the twisting trail, Zelda finished off two more Tektites and a third one stealthily stalking her from the slightly elevated path above the blonde.

"What is that cavern?" Impa asked as she and Zelda passed the mouth of a huge cave radiating a high amount of heat.

"Dodongo's cavern," Zelda replied as she walked up the trail the fourth Tektite had been on a few seconds before.

"Dodongo?" Impa repeated with mild curiosity.

"A large monster that breathes fire," the princess explained. "Link had to fight it to gain the Goron ruby."

Impa nodded in understanding.

The two continued up the trail in silence.

As they neared a larger part of the path, Impa slowed down slightly, frowning.

_Why do I feel a sudden bloodlust?_

The Sheikah glanced behind her and gasped.

"Your Grace, look out!"

Zelda looked over her shoulder briefly before leaping to the side as a sword slammed into the ground where she had been standing, taking out her bow once again.

"A Stalfos?" Zelda asked, withdrawing an arrow as the animated skeleton growled at her. "What the hell's it doing here?"

_That's a Stalfos? _Impa wondered as the Stalfos began to slowly advance toward Zelda. _The ones I knew were double wielding; this one has a shield in its left hand. Perhaps they realized that it was ineffectual to have two swords?_

Zelda fired an arrow at the undead skeleton, but the monster merely deflected the shaft with its shield.

A bit annoyed, Zelda released three more arrows in rapid succession at the Stalfos.

After avoiding all the arrows, the Stalfos lowered its shield and chuckled at Zelda, obviously amused by her tactics.

"Ah, fuck! My arrows are useless against it!" Zelda groaned in frustration. "I should have also brought Link's sword."

Zelda continued backing away from the Stalfos's advances and gasped when her back hit a wall, Impa instantly standing between the blonde and the progressing monster.

The Stalfos lifted its sword above its head, the blade glinting in the sunlight.

"Hey, you!" a voice shouted.

The Stalfos paused, glancing to the left with a questioning grunt.

A large, spiky boulder was rapidly rolling toward the Stalfos.

"Get off my mountain, you fucking undead skeleton!"

The Stalfos squeaked in alarm as the huge rock crashed into it, sending it flying high into the air where it soon disappeared out of sight.

The boulder stopped rolling, flipping open and revealing itself as a Goron.

"And stay off it!" the Goron yelled, shaking his fist at the sky.

"Darunia?" Zelda asked in surprise.

"Hey, princess," Darunia greeted as he face Zelda. "How are you doing?"

"Fine. But how come you're out of the Sacred Realm?"

"Once a month for a week we sages are allowed to leave!" Darunia grinned before he frowned slightly, wagging his finger at Zelda. "Now what are you doing here all by yourself without the hero to protect you?"

"I'm on an adventure!" Zelda smiled, placing her hands behind her back. "I wanted to ask if you knew of a Goron named after a hero."

"A Goron named after a hero?" Darunia repeated, rubbing his chin thoughtfully before snapping his fingers. "There's Link."

"Link's not a Goron," Zelda deadpanned.

"No, my son."

"Link's your son? !"

Darunia sighed, shaking his head.

"No, I named my son after the hero Link."

"So your son is named Link," Zelda said, wondering if she was hearing things right.

Darunia nodded.

"And he's a Goron?"

Another nod.

Zelda pouted slightly, obviously not amused.

"Well, I should have seen that coming."

"If you want to speak with my son, he is in the fire temple training."

"Thanks, Darunia," Zelda said as she began to head in the direction of Death Mountain crater where the fire temple resided.

"And be careful!" the Goron called after Zelda. "There have been rumors that a giant monster has appeared in the temple!"

"I'll be extra cautious, then!" the Hylian called back.

* * *

Zelda and Impa both stared up at the large entry way before them.

"So this is the fire temple," Zelda said as she stared at the entrance to the temple. "Looks kinda…intimidating."

"The shadow temple was more intimidating than this," Impa murmured, slowly glancing around.

"So…Sheikah first."

With a slight snort, Impa glanced at Zelda before she entered the temple with the princess following close behind her.


	20. Through the Temple

The entrance to the fire temple was grand with a large staircase sitting in the center of the room, three faces carved into the rock wall behind the stairway, torches flickering in their mouths.

Two pillars were positioned on the east and west side of the staircase with a door adjacent to each, leading to a new part of the temple.

"I say we go through the right door," Zelda chirped as she began heading up the stairs, easily sniping two fire keese that fluttered around the area.

As Zelda neared the door, she paused when she noticed the chains and large lock around the door.

"What the—?" she asked, momentarily confused. "Why is the door locked? Link went through this temple! It should be unlocked!"

"Perhaps the Gorons re-locked them?" Impa suggested, watching blankly as Zelda began pulling on the criss-crossed chains.

"No, no!" Zelda yanked harder on the chains, determined to break them.

Zelda comically collapsed to the ground when her hands slipped and lay on her back with a defeated sigh.

"That means I have to go through the whole temple just to search for Link, searching for small keys, and fighting off enemies…"

"Your Grace…." Impa started, understanding Zelda's annoyance in having to go through the temple, but stopped when the blonde's face suddenly split into an eager grin.

"That's so awesome!" Zelda hopped to her feet, facing Impa with sparkling eyes. "I'm actually going through my very first temple! Come on, let's go!"

Impa watched silently as Zelda rushed toward the opposite door before she gave a small chuckle, shaking her head as she followed after the eccentric princess.

Her Zelda had responded the same way when they had to go through the earth temple.

Zelda had already shut the door but the Sheikah easily passed through the metal, coming into a large room with a door at the far end wrapped in thick chains.

A thin layer of lava covered the floor beneath them and six pillars rose up from the ground, three on the east side and three on the west.

Standing by the boss door was a small Goron who was staring at the door curiously.

"Hey, you!" Zelda called out to the Goron.

The Goron squeaked in surprise before turning around rapidly.

When the rock-eater saw that it was just Zelda, he frowned slightly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"What do you want?"

"Are you Link?"

"Yeah. What of it?"

Zelda tried to ignore how rude Link was, choosing instead to smile as sweetly as possible.

"Would you mind giving me a piece of your rocky shell?"

Link deadpanned.

"No."

"What?" Zelda became surprised. "Why not?"

"If you want a piece of my shell, you'll have to catch me!" Link stuck out his tongue, turning around and patting his jagged carapace. "See ya, old lady!"

"I am not an old lady!" Zelda screeched, immediately going after the feisty rock-eater who had already gone on ahead. "Take that back!"

"Your Grace!" Impa instantly grabbed Zelda around the waist so she wouldn't fall off the platform they stood on. "Careful!"

"But he called me an old lady!" Zelda protested, looking at Impa as the Sheikah released her. "I'm not old! Or a lady!"

"So you're a gentleman?"

"That's not what I mean, you jerk!" Zelda said, lightly smacking Impa's arm. "Hey…"

The blonde blinked, poking Impa's arm.

"You're tangible…"

Impa glanced down at herself, noticing that she wasn't as pallid or translucent.

"Ah, it appears so…."

"Do you think it was because you grabbed me?"

"Perhaps."

The two stared at each other before it started to become awkward as the silence stretched out.

"So…" Zelda started.

"Perhaps we should search for the key," Impa suggested.

"Yeah," Zelda nodded and then pointed to her left, at a small platform adjacent to the boss door. "I think that cell might have a small key."

Before Zelda could do anything, Impa was already leaping from pillar to pillar until she reached the platform, entering the tiny cell and returning a few seconds later with a silver key in her hand.

"Is this what we are looking for?"

"Yes, that's it!" Zelda grinned and began heading back the way they had come. "Come on! Let's go on to the rest of the temple."

Impa nodded, trailing after the blonde.

When they reached the locked door back at the entrance to the temple, Impa allowed Zelda to unlock the chains and open the door leading to another room in the temple.

The room had several ramps with a long bridge leading to a locked door at the other end of the room.

Fire keese flapped around and lava covered the floor.

"If you step in the lava," Impa said as Zelda jumped to a small, flat rock to her right. "Does it hurt with the Goron tunic on?"

"I dunno," Zelda shrugged as Impa followed behind her, jumping to a higher portion of rock and grabbing the edge of it.

"Never really tested it."

The blonde flipped onto the top of the rock, taking out a keese with an arrow when it caught sight of her.

"And Link always avoided it."

"I see," the Sheikah murmured as she and Zelda leaped to a platform below and then to another one shortly after as the one they had landed on gave out underneath their weight.

The platform they landed on moved slowly from side to side, flames spurting from the face of the block to help its movements.

It passed a rocky ramp leading to a platform with a door and the duo jumped to the ramp, heading toward the door.

Impa allowed Zelda to go through the door which opened into a small alcove lit with torches.

Once Zelda had obtained the small key, the two headed back to the bridge and had only gone halfway across it when Zelda abruptly leaped onto a jagged row of rocks below.

"Where are you going, Your Grace?" Impa asked as Zelda continued toward a small alcove along the east wall. "The locked door is this way."

The Sheikah pointed to the door at the end of the bridge.

"I bet there's a small key beyond this door!" Zelda called as she easily landed on the platform. "I'm gonna go check!"

Impa watched as Zelda opened the door and entered the hallway beyond before she began walking toward the door at the end of the bridge to wait for Zelda to return.

It didn't take long for the princess at all; by the time Impa had reached the door, Zelda was already fiddling with the chains.

The room beyond had four sets of chain link fences practically reaching to the ceiling, two sets on either side to leave an opening to a small area where a column of fire jutted up from the ground in-between two pillar-like objects that might have once been a bridge.

A slanted plank of wood lead to the tiny area.

"So we just have to…" Zelda cautiously put a foot on the board and yelped when she slid down the tilted plank.

She glanced behind her as Impa silently landed beside her.

"…That was actually sorta fun."

"It appears as if we have to push that block onto the stream of fire when it returns to the ground," Impa noted, staring at the large cube that sat on the edge of the nearby platform. "If we stand on the block, the jet might push us into that hole in the ceiling."

"And look, it's square-shaped," Zelda said sarcastically. "How con—hey, where'd you go?"

Zelda glanced around when she noticed that Impa was gone and soon spotted her pushing the block toward the column of fire as it disappeared into the ground.

The Sheikah jumped down onto the block when it landed over the opening and held out her hand to Zelda.

"Come on, Your Grace."

Zelda quickly grabbed Impa's hand and was pulled onto the cube as the stream of flames shoved them up into the ceiling.

* * *

The duo continued through the fire temple, finding more small keys, climbing chain link fences after dispersing a wall of fire, traversing a maze with walls of fire that sprang up if a wrong step was made, and going through a complicated puzzle with large boulders rolling around.

"You know, I can see why Link hated going through these things," Zelda moaned as she plopped down next to a door leading to another room. "They were torture! Cruel and unusual punishment!"

"That may be true," Impa said, "but it tests endurance and quick thinking. It helped him get wiser and more mature."

"I wanna quit," Zelda muttered, resting her forehead against her knees.

"It would be a waste to surrender now, Your Grace," Impa protested. "We are already more than halfway through the temple."

"Yeah, I guess," Zelda sighed before standing up. "All right, let's get going."

The two entered through the door they had rested by, coming into a square room with a cube-like pedestal in the center.

"I guess we use the pedestal to get to the next door," Zelda said as she began to head toward the foundation.

As Impa trailed after Zelda, she began to grow troubled.

"Your Grace…"

"Yeah?" Zelda stopped, glancing back at the Sheikah.

The blonde gasped, her eyes locking with something behind Impa.

"Lizalfos!"


	21. Not Entirely Flameproof

It was a Lizalfos, but not one that Impa remembered.

The Lizalfos she had encountered had been larger with rocky braces covering their left arms and a mace at the tip of their tails.

The Lizalfos facing her was a foot smaller with a thin tail and wielded a slim sword in its right hand.

The Lizalfos screeched at the duo, but waited for them to make the first move.

Impa carefully observed the lizard's movements, searching for even the slightest hint of an attack.

"Can I just shoot it already?" Zelda asked impatiently, obviously annoyed with the staring contest.

"Lizalfos are agile creatures, Your Grace," Impa explained. "Arrows will work on some monsters, but other call for tactic."

"But you don't have any weapons!"

"Who said that I needed weapons?" Impa glanced at Zelda out of the corner of her eye, mouth turned up in a small smirk.

"Ah, yes. Don't count a Sheikah out, even if they don't have weapons."

"Correct," Impa charged at the Lizalfos, aiming to distract it while Zelda readied an arrow.

When the Sheikah leaped to the left, Zelda fired the arrow, hitting the lizard's right shoulder.

The Lizalfos screeched, glaring at Zelda before turning its attention back to Impa.

_Ah, so it does not consider Zelda a threat, _Impa thought as she and the Lizalfos circled each other. _If I can rid it of its sword, it should be powerless._

Impa ran at the Lizalfos and when it swiped at her with its sword, she ducked underneath the blade, grabbed the lizard's wrist and twisted its arm behind its back in one swift movement.

The Lizalfos gave a pained shriek, dropping its sword as Impa held it still.

"Between the eyes?" Zelda asked without looking up as she prepared an arrow.

Impa nodded silently.

When Zelda aimed her bow at the lizard, Impa pushed it forward and before the creature could even turn to hiss its indignation at the Sheikah, an arrow was embedded in its skull.

Impa bent down, picking up the discarded blade as the Lizalfos dropped to the ground.

"You're taking its sword?" Zelda questioned as she slid the bow back onto her shoulders.

"For as long as I can wield it," the Sheikah replied, testing the blade by swiping it from side to side. "However it might require some getting used to."

"Sheikah like knives, don't they?"

Impa nodded as she and Zelda headed toward the pedestal in the center of the room.

"We are silent killers; knives are easy to hide beneath our clothes or bandages. Swords stick out too much and have a short range."

Zelda abruptly burst into peals of laughter, startling Impa who glanced at the princess in puzzlement.

"What is so funny?"

"Sheik said the same thing when I asked him why he practically coddled his knives!" Zelda continued chuckling until she finally calmed down, wiping a tear from her eye before looking at Impa seriously. "But I thought Sheikah were just meant to protect the royal family, not kill anyone."

"If it means your protection," Impa murmured, her crimson eyes firm but with a faint sadness about them, "we will become assassins and mercenaries."

* * *

"This is the cavern where Link fought Volvaiga," Zelda explained as she and Impa entered a large cave where a huge chunk of rock sat in the middle.

_There's something not right about this cave…_Impa pondered as she slowly glanced around, her eyes narrowing.

"Ah, there he is!" Zelda pointed toward Link who was peacefully rolling around a few feet away.

The Goron paused when he heard Zelda's shout.

"Ah, it's the old lady!" the young rock-eater yelped.

Zelda grinned, a dark expression passing over her face as she cracked her knuckles

"I dare you to say that again, kid," she growled with barely controlled anger, "and I'll send you flying into outer space."

Link instantly rolled the other way, Zelda chasing after him.

"Get back here, you damn brat!"

"No way!"

Impa froze.

_What was that? _She wondered as she glanced around. _I felt a sudden shift in the air._

"Gotcha!" Zelda leapt at Link, tacking him and knocking him on his back.

"Ow…you didn't have to do that, you know…" Link rubbed the back of his head, mildly glaring at Zelda.

"Now that I caught you…" Zelda slowly walked closer to Link, grinning. "I have one thing to say…."

Link whimpered, backing up until he hit a wall.

"Can I have a piece of your shell?"

The Goron stopped trembling and stared at Zelda in confusion.

"What…?"

"Please, I need it."

_I do not like this… _Impa thought as she looked around. _There is something not right about this place._

The Sheikah glanced down when something obscured the light above her before dodging to the side as something slammed into the ground right where she had been standing.

"Your Grace!"

Zelda looked toward the Sheikah to see her being chased by a large red-orange bird.

"What is that?!" Link asked as Zelda withdrew her bow and notched an arrow.

"A dead bird," Zelda growled as she fired.

The bird screeched as the arrow buried itself in its right eye, falling to the ground with a thud.

Impa instantly whirled around, raising the sword she held to finish off the creature.

The bird's long tail lashed out at her and the Sheikah distanced herself, landing beside Zelda.

"What is that?" the princess questioned.

"A Furnix," Impa replied. "A bird from my era that survived by devouring flames and could launch three balls of fire in rapid succession."

"This thing's as big as a Moblin, though!" Zelda protested.

"Perhaps it has grown during the centuries," Impa suggested. "But that makes no difference; its weak spot is still the same."

"All right," Zelda grinned, watching as the Furnix slowly climbed to its feet. "What do you want me to do?"

"Distract it, but keep it on the ground."

"Roger that," Zelda glanced at Link. "Now, you stay here."

"What? Why?"

"You're too young to handle this," Zelda patted Link's head. "Let the grown-ups handle this."

Impa rolled her eyes before charging toward the Furnix which instantly locked on her with its one good eye.

The bird screeched, glaring to the side when three arrows bit into the side of its neck.

"Over here, ugly!" Zelda yelled, sticking her tongue out at the bird.

The Furnix squawked angrily, its curled tail unfolding as it opened its four feathery wings.

"Zelda, duck down!"

The Furnix snapped its head around when something stepped on its tail, but before it had a chance to do anything else, a sword and an arrow pierced the center of its skull at the same time.

"Bull's-eye!" Zelda cheered as the Furnix collapsed. "She shoots, she scores! Whoo!"

Impa watched as Zelda pranced around, waving to an imaginary crowd, before she shook her head.

_I suppose I do not have to worry about her as much as I would like. She is capable of handling herself._

"That was awesome!" Link said as he ran up to the duo. "You beat it like it was nothing!"

"Because it was nothing!" Zelda grinned, putting her hands on her hips proudly.

"Here."

Zelda looked at Link to see the Goron holding out a small rock shard to her.

"Your shell…" The princess uttered in surprise.

"You saved me. I didn't know such a large monster was here; if you hadn't come when you did who knows what would have happened. So…I want you to have a piece of my shell as thanks."

Zelda stared at Link for a few seconds before she crouched down, placing a hand over the rock shard Link held, smiling.

"No, thank you. This means a lot to me."

* * *

Zelda stumbled out of the fire temple and collapsed with a pathetic groan.

"I died," she whimpered.

"Your Grace," Impa sighed as she came to stand beside Zelda, her form once again transparent.

"Stupid fire temple," Zelda muttered as she slowly pushed herself into a sitting position. "Why does it have to be so hot in there?"

Impa watched as Zelda pulled out the water flask that she had forgotten about, taking greedy sips.

"Your Grace," the Sheikah suddenly intoned. "The Goron tunic."

Zelda glanced down at the tunic, spotting several scorch marks and small cuts in the fabric that had been made by Keese and other monsters as well as her little scuffle with Goron Link.

"Oh, guess it's not entirely flame-proof like I thought," Zelda said as she slipped off the tunic, showing off the white tank top that was beneath the tunic.

"What will you—"

"Shh," Zelda interrupted Impa before grinning and standing up, slinging the tunic over one shoulder. "Come on, let's go back to Kakariko!"

Impa sighed as Zelda began to march toward the entrance to Goron City before she followed after the princess.


	22. You Lost Her?

"No, no, not there!"

Impa froze, just about to place a vase next to the bookshelf, and glanced at Zelda with a look reminiscent of a deer in the headlights.

"That goes over there," Zelda pointed to her left.

The Sheikah picked up the vase and obediently headed to where the princes had pointed, placing the vase in the designated place.

"May I ask why we are straightening your nursemaid's house, Your Grace?"

"Because," Zelda sighed. "I don't want her to realize that we were here for two days. She'll wonder why and then get suspicious. And when she gets suspicious, she stalks me. And when she stalks me, she pops up in random places and asks me questions with this look that says she can see into my soul."

Zelda glanced at Impa with a blank stare.

"I hate that look."

The princess resumed straightening the bookshelf.

"So we're cleaning up."

"I see…"

It fell silent as the two continued straightening the small house.

_Huh… _Zelda paused briefly. _I wonder how Link's doing without me._

The princess remained still for a few seconds before she once again continued.

_I bet he's fine._

* * *

"Zelda? !"

Link poked his head underneath the sofa.

"Zelda?"

The hero looked under his bed.

"Zelda!"

Link climbed to the top of the bookshelves, glancing around.

When he once again came up empty-handed, the blonde sighed, dropping his head onto the wood.

"Okay, Zelda! You win! You can come out now!"

"Hero, what are you doing?"

With a hopeful gasp, Link rapidly turned at the voice, completely forgetting about his precarious position on the bookshelf.

The hero yelped when he felt himself falling and braced to hit the floor, not expecting to be caught by a pair of strong arms.

"What are you doing?"

Link cautiously opened his eyes to find himself staring at a doubtful Sheik who had an eyebrow raised.

"Sheik….?"

The two continued to silently stare at each other before Sheik realized that he was holding Link bridal style and immediately dropped the hero.

"Owow…." Link rubbed his back before glowering at the Sheikah. "You didn't have to drop me, you know!"

"Dropping you seemed appropriate," Sheik responded as he turned his back on Link to hide his blush.

"Why are you here anyway?" Link asked as he stood up, still rubbing his wounded back.

"I have a short break before my next assignment," the Sheikah explained as he glanced at Link. "So I decided to visit you and Zelda."

Link froze.

_Oh, goddesses! _the hero thought in horror. _Zelda's not here! What do I do? !_

"Uh, well, you see…Zelda left…."

"Left?" Sheik repeated with a raised eyebrow. "Where did she go?"

"To…Castle Town…to pick up some…supplies!" Link grinned at his deceptiveness and began pushing Sheik toward the front door. "So…you don't have to wait for her to return! You can just go on and do your mission."

The hero shoved Sheik outside.

"Have a good time! Bye now!"

Before Sheik could respond or even turn around, Link slammed the front door and leaned his back against it with a relieved sigh.

"That was close."

"What was close?"

Link squeaked, jumping back when Sheik appeared beside him.

"How did you get back inside? !"

"Your window was open," the Sheikah explained.

"Coming in through people's windows is rude, you know!"

"There's something you're hiding from me," Sheik took a step toward Link who stepped back in response. "Now what is it?"

Tears appeared in the corners of Link's eyes and he abruptly clung to one of Sheik's legs, startling the Sheikah.

"Don't hurt me! I didn't realize she left! She must have gone in the middle of the night while I was asleep!"

"Hero, what are you rambling on about?"

"Zelda's gone!"

"You lost my sister?"

Link nodded with a small whimper, still awaiting some sort of punishment.

Sheik sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Did she take anything with her?"

"Well…." Link sniffed. "Epona's gone…."

"I mean items! Maybe that will give us a clue as to where she was headed."

"Oh…uh…." Link sat back, putting a finger to his lips. "The Goron tunic's gone…"

"Then she has probably gone to—"

"And some extra fishing line I brought…."

Sheik frowned slightly.

"Oh, and my ocarina and your harp!"

"When did she even get my harp?"

Link shrugged and Sheik gave a suffering sigh.

"All right….well, I thought she was going to Death Mountain, but the fishing line suggests she might visit Zora's Domain."

"So which is it?"

"I do not know," Sheik shook his head, "but I will keep an eye out for her while I complete my assignment."

Link instantly hopped to his feet.

"You're leaving already?"

"I have to go before it gets too dark."

"Oh…" Link's ears lowered as he watched Sheik head toward the front door.

Just as Sheik was about to step outside, Link grabbed his wrist.

"Wait, Sheik."

Sheik turned, staring at Link expectantly.

"Um…" Link released the Sheikah's wrist, putting his hand against his chest. "Be safe."

Sheik nodded and as he continued on his way, Link shut the door.

The hero sighed, staring at the floor for a few seconds before giving a frustrated groan as he pulled at his hair.

"Why didn't I tell him? ! I had a chance right there! It's so easy! Sheik, I love you. It's three words! Why couldn't I tell him?"

With a pathetic groan, Link flopped on his back, draping an arm over his eye.

"I'm stupid…"

* * *

As Sheik got further away from the lake house, he slowly stopped and glanced behind him.

The Sheikah smirked to himself.

"Take your time, Link."

Sheik continued to walk, heading toward Hyrule Field.

"I can wait."


	23. Tastes Better Than It Smells

Epona practically assaulted Zelda the moment she saw the princess walking down the steps, knocking her to the ground and standing over her, happily nuzzling Zelda.

"Hey, quit it, Epona!" Zelda laughed as Epona drowned her in slobbery licks much like a playful dog, futilely trying to push the mare away. "I was only gone for two days!"

The mare finally calmed down before staring at Impa.

The Sheikah took a small step back when Epona moved closer to her, gazing at her doubtfully as she looked Impa up and down.

Epona snorted, shaking her head slightly as she ambled back toward Zelda.

Impa realized that Epona didn't seem particularly fond of her.

_I wonder why… _the Sheikah pondered as Zelda began to lead Epona toward the bridge they had crossed a few days ago to reach Death Mountain.

As the Sheikah followed after Zelda, who had turned left, heading up a small hill, she noticed how possessively close Epona walked beside Zelda.

_Ah, _Impa thought as she realized what the mare's problem was. _She believes I am stealing Zelda from her._

Zelda paused at a lush area with a twisting creek and a grand waterfall at the far end; ledge-like strips of land rose above the ground, crossing over the gurgling stream.

"All right, Epona," Zelda murmured as she stroked the mare's muzzle. "I'll be back in a few hours. You stay here and be good."

Epona nickered in understanding, watching as Zelda walked away before glowering at Impa as the Sheikah glided past.

A fleeting thought entered Impa's mind as she felt the urge to put her arm around Zelda just to spite the mare, but it was pushed to the back of the Sheikah's brain when she realized that it would have just been a stupid, childish action.

Let Epona be jealous, let her act like she was Zelda's mother; it didn't bother Impa.

The Sheikah was her guardian, nothing more.

But somehow it hurt when she thought that.

_**Because you like her…**_a small voice at the back of the Sheikah's mind snickered.

_I do not, _Impa mentally replied, realizing she was possibly going crazy, talking to what was probably her conscience.

_**Oh, you keep thinking that! **_The voice laughed. _**See how far it gets you.**_

She must have appeared frustrated because when Zelda glanced at her, she asked, "Impa?"

The Sheikah was snapped out of her thoughts.

"Yes, Your Grace?"

Zelda stared at the Sheikah thoughtfully for a few seconds as if searching for something before she questioned, "How come you only call me Zelda at certain times?"

"What do you mean, Your Grace?"

"Like yesterday when the Furnix was about to attack, you called me Zelda. And when you protected my ancestor. Why is that?"

_I did…? _Impa wondered, trying to remember when she had called Zelda by her name.

"Perhaps it was because I was…scared," the Sheikah explained slowly, "and momentarily forgot about formalities."

"Ah, okay," Zelda said simply with a grin. "Then I just gotta get you scared more often."

Impa glanced at Zelda with a slightly raised eyebrow.

"I like it when you say my name."

Zelda paused in front of a waterfall and faced toward it.

"We're here."

The Sheikah stared at the large amount of water crashing into the small pond below quizzically.

"Here?"

"At Zora's Domain," Zelda explained as she pulled out a blue ocarina from her pocket and began to play a gentle melody.

Impa watched as the waterfall parted to the sides in response to the tune, revealing a dark passageway behind it.

"That caves leads to where the Zora live," Zelda said, placing the ocarina back in her pocket before jumping into the cave.

"What a clever way of hiding it," Impa murmured as she followed after the princess.

"Yeah. The Zora do have a small place that leads to Lake Hylia, but only a select few actually know where the front door is and how to get past it."

"Namely you and the hero," Impa guessed.

"How'd you know?"

"He saved the Zora, did he not?"

Zelda rolled her eyes, remembering that she had told Impa all of Link's adventures.

The two came into a large area where a pond was, a small waterfall crashing into the pool to Zelda's left.

"That's strange," Zelda muttered when she noticed the water flowing under a layer of ice. "It's frozen over."

The princess went to a nearby Zora who was observing the pond worriedly.

"Hey, why's the pond frozen?"

"A Freezard came in here!" the Zora explained, pointing to a large block of ice nearby. "It froze the pond and the high dive waterfall. If we don't do something soon, Lord Jabu-Jabu won't get his daily fish and we won't be able to feed ourselves!"

"Have you tried killing it?" Zelda asked, glancing at the nervous Zora with a raised eyebrow.

"We have, but those brave enough only end up getting frozen," the Zora gestured to tow Zora nearby trying to create a fire to help thaw out a third Zora trapped in a block of ice.

Zelda gazed back at the Freezard and grinned.

"Looks like this is a job for me, then," she said as she pulled out an arrow and withdrew her bow.

As Zelda notched an arrow, the metal tip was magically set alight by a small flame.

The princess aimed the flickering arrow at the Freezard before suddenly lifting it toward the ceiling and releasing it.

The Zora watching squeaked in shock.

"You missed!" he said, frantically shaking Zelda who appeared mildly annoyed. "How could you miss? It was ten feet in front of you!"

"Just watch," Zelda replied as she stared at the Freezard.

The arrow shot down, burying itself in the top of the Freezard's head.

The icy monster squealed as the heat from the fire arrow began to melt it.

"Never," Zelda said, pushing the Zora off her as the Freezard finally diminished into a puddle, "doubt my archery skills."

With that said, Zelda pulled out two more arrows, notched them, and set them alight before releasing them, one striking the center of the pond while the other hit the high dive waterfall.

"There you go," Zelda smirked as the ice began to melt. "Now you should be able to fish."

Zelda then sat down at the edge of the pond, taking a Deku stick from a nearby Zora who gave an indignant "Hey!" and pulled out the fishing line in her pocket as well as a red earring.

Impa watched silently as Zelda tied one end of the fishing line to the top of the stick before wrapping the other end to the earring.

"You said that those earrings were your mother's, correct?" Impa asked as Zelda threw the earring as far as she could into the pond.

"Yeah."

"Why are you using one as bait?"

"Mom left me a note, saying that I would know what to do with them when the time came and I can tell this is what she meant. It's not like I'm gonna let the fish eat it or anything."

It fell silent as Zelda patiently waited for a bite.

After a few minutes it was apparent Zelda was beginning to grow annoyed with waiting.

Just as Zelda was about to give up, the fishing line went taut.

"Oh, I caught something!"

Zelda stood up and began pulling backward, trying to drag her catch toward shore.

"You caught the elusive Reekfish!" a Zora gasped as Zelda finally managed to pull a large red fish onto land.

"A what fish?" Zelda asked as she held down the struggling fish so she could take the earring out of its mouth.

The princess wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"Ew, it's stinky."

"That's how it got its name," the Zora chuckled as Zelda finally got annoyed with the flopping fish, piercing its tail with an arrow. "They only appear every few hundred years when the coral they feed on begins to grow."

"So it's a rare fish," Zelda said with a nod.

"Here."

Zelda glanced at the Zora to see him holding out a shallow bowl made of some sort of ceramic with a woven leaf resting inside.

"If you're going to cook the fish, this bowl will help. And the leaf will help preserve whatever is left."

"Oh, I can't take that," Zelda said with a shake of her head.

"Think of it as a thank you gift for helping us," the Zora persisted, handing the bowl to Zelda. "We would never have been able to defeat that Freezard if you hadn't come along."

"Oh…well, then, thanks," Zelda grinned before picking up the Reekfish and dropping it in the bowl.

She gave a bow to the Zora, who returned it, before beginning to head back toward the Zora River.

"Hey, Impa," Zelda smiled as she glanced at the Sheikah. "Guess who just got dinner."

* * *

After creating a small fire, Zelda cut off the Reekfish's tail, using the leaf to preserve it.

She then began to gut the fish, skimming off the scales, and even chopping off the head.

Impa watched, wondering how Zelda knew such techniques but didn't question the princess; it had taken the Sheikah several years to discover the proper way to prepare and cook fish without getting sick.

Once the water had boiled, Zelda put in a few herbs and spices into the bowl as she sliced the fish into small pieces; when the water had turned a milky color, Zelda dumped the fish, using the Deku stick she had fished with to stir the stew.

After making certain the fish had cooked thoroughly, Zelda decided to do a taste test of her stew.

"Hmm," Zelda licked her lips, trying to decide whether or not she liked it.

She looked at Impa with a grin.

"The fish tastes better than it smells."


	24. Lean on Me

With the fish stew that she didn't eat, Zelda gave it to the Zora as an offering of sorts.

Zelda and Impa began to head back toward Hyrule Field where Epona patiently waited, Zelda explaining that their next stop was the Lost Woods.

"You said that the Lost Woods is where the Kokiri live," Impa said as Zelda patted Epona's muzzle.

"Yeah," Zelda replied as she placed the wrapped fish tail into her supply bag. "And where Link grew up."

"But the Kokiri don't age," Impa persisted as Zelda steered Epona in the direction of the Lost Woods after climbing into the saddle. "How did Link not know that he was a Hylian?"

"Hmm…" Zelda remained silent for a few seconds, trying to figure out her answer, as Epona moved at a slow trot. "Well, he didn't know much outside of the forest. It was only when the Deku Tree told him to come meet me did he finally leave the Lost Woods."

"But how did he find out that he was a Hylian, not a Kokiri?"

"Rauru, the Sage of Light."

"Rauru," Impa repeated slowly, not quite sure who all the sages were; she had met Darunia, the Sage of Fire, and heard of the one whom bore her name, the Sage of Shadow.

"Someday, I'll introduce you to all the Sages!"

The Sheikah gave a hum of acknowledgement as Zelda halted Epona outside the entrance to a huge, hollow log.

"This is the Lost Woods?" Impa asked as she glanced around.

The area didn't appear wood-like; it was two rocks walls on either side with the log in the middle.

"Well, yeah…no," Zelda slid down from the saddle. "This is the entrance to the Lost Woods."

"I see…" Impa stared down the dark log skeptically. "And somewhere within these woods is the Kokiri village?"

"Yep."

"Do you know the way there?"

"Yea…nooo…no, I don't."

Impa gave a sigh, realizing she should have expected such an answer.

"Then how do you expect to find the village?"

"We just keep going until we do find it," Zelda shrugged as she headed inside the log.

"Your Grace, this is not a good idea," Impa murmured, trailing after Zelda. "The Lost Woods are named for people getting lost, yes? Surely only the Kokiri know the way to their village."

"Stop being such a worrywart, Impa! I've got the ocarina with me," Zelda held up the ocarina in her hand, twirling it a bit, before slipping it back into her pocket. "If I feel like we're lost, I'll call on Saria for help."

_Saria? _Impa wondered as they exited the log, coming out into an immense area of trees.

The Sheikah gazed around silently, staring at the tall trees surrounding them.

Impa started slightly when she felt something warm slip into her hand and glanced beside her to see Zelda nervously holding onto her hand.

"Now I remember why I didn't like these woods," Zelda said as she moved closer to Impa, glancing around. "It feels like the trees are watching you."

"It is all right," Impa carefully pulled her hand out of Zelda's, staring at it as she realized the girl's touch had once again turned her tangible. "Perhaps it is best if we get going; we would not want to get caught in these woods after dark."

Zelda nodded, gripping the strap of her quiver tighter, as they began to walk.

It was quiet as they walked, Impa taking the initiative and walking ahead several feet to scout for any enemies.

"This is strange…" Zelda muttered as she caught up to Impa, walking by the Sheikah's side as she looked around. "We should have seen a Deku Baba or even a Wolfos by now…but we haven't."

"You are right. Even a Keese should have been spotted, but there are none. It could be possible that a larger monster scared them off."

"Something bigger than a Wolfos?" Zelda asked, trying to figure out a monster fiercer than the Wolfos. "Well, there are—"

Impa suddenly pushed Zelda behind a tree, putting a finger to her lips when Zelda was about to protest, before carefully peering around the side of the tree.

Standing several feet away was a large monster cornering what appeared to be a smaller monster.

Moblin was the first thing that came to Impa's mind, but this Moblin was much different than the ones from her era.

Instead of being fat and stocky with red skin, this Moblin was tall and well-built with a mud brown hide.

It wielded only a lance, instead of a spear and a square wooden or metal shield.

Donning a minuscule amount of armor, the Moblin had a greater sense of defending its tender skin instead of wearing a simple loincloth.

"It's a Moblin," Impa glanced back at Zelda. "It appears to be harassing a small creature with a black face and red hat."

"A Skull Kid!" Zelda gasped, immediately standing up and sliding the bow off her shoulder. "We have to go help it!"

"Wait, Your Grace—" Impa started, but Zelda was already heading toward the Moblin.

The Sheikah sighed, shaking her head.

Her Zelda had done the same thing when she had discovered a Lanaryu robot being bullied by a Techoblin.

Impa stood up, running after Zelda to see the girl already engaged in battle against the Moblin.

Zelda fired several arrows at the Moblin, a few of them only managing to get under the monster's armor.

When one arrow managed to embed itself in the Moblin's side, Zelda instantly circled around to the creature's back, aiming an arrow at the Moblin's neck.

The Moblin rapidly retaliated out of anger and pain, striking Zelda's blind side with the end of the spear's staff, sending the blonde crashing back first into a nearby tree.

"Zelda!" Impa gasped, rushing to the princess's side and kneeling down. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Zelda winced as she held her left shoulder. "I think my right ankle is twisted…"

As Impa assessed her injuries, she spotted a small horizontal cut on Zelda's forehead and a short gash on her midsection, right on top of her old scar.

The Sheikah felt furious with herself.

She couldn't even help Zelda! Even if she was tangible, she had no weapons of her own to aid and defend the blonde.

Zelda suddenly straightened slightly.

"Impa!"

Without even thinking, Impa grabbed the bow lying nearby and three stray arrows before notching all three of them and whirling to face the advancing Moblin, remaining in her crouched position.

She released all three arrows, every one of them hitting their marks—the forehead, heart, and groin.

As the Moblin toppled backward and vanished in a puff of smoke, Impa gathered the fallen arrows and placed them back inside the quiver before carefully slipping the quiver and bow over Zelda's shoulders.

"Ow…" Zelda flinched, her hand once again going to her left shoulder.

Frowning slightly, Impa carefully removed Zelda's hand before gently feeling her shoulder.

"It is dislocated…" the Sheikah murmured, placing one hand on the top of Zelda's shoulder and gripping her upper arm with the other. "I am going to pop it back in on three."

Zelda nodded hesitantly, closing her eyes.

"One…"

There was a crunching sound and Zelda gave a small scream.

"You said on three!" she protested with a whimper, her eyes watering.

"If I had done it on three you would have expected it and tensed up. If you had tensed up, the pain would have been much worse."

Zelda didn't protest to that, allowing Impa to gently help her to her feet.

"Keep your ankle off the ground," Impa said as she slung Zelda's left arm over her shoulder. "You should lean on me, Your Grace. That will prevent you from putting your foot down."

"Okay…" Zelda murmured, slightly leaning against the tall Sheikah, allowing Impa to practically support her.

Cautiously, the Skull Kid came up to them, gripping a flute in both hands.

"Thank you for saving me," he…she…it? said, staring up at the two with its circular white eyes. "How can I repay you?"

The Skull Kid suddenly lifted up his flute, looking eager.

"Would you like some music?"

"Perhaps later," Impa said. "Do you think you could take us to the village of the Kokiri?"

"Uh-huh!" the Skull Kid nodded brightly. "Follow me!"

Impa followed after the strange being who was excitedly bouncing around and twirling as he…it giggled.

Zelda hopped next to Impa, who kept a good grip on her so she wouldn't slip or fall.

As they went along, the Skull Kid deciding to play a lively tune on its flute, Zelda noticed that Impa sort of smelled like the forest with a bit of desert heat; it reminded the princess a bit of the Gerudo.

Zelda smiled a little, the scent soothing her, and closed her eyes.

The Skull Kid giggled again and Zelda felt Impa come to a halt.

"Here you go!" the Skull Kid chirped, vanishing as Zelda opened her eyes. "Let's play again sometime!"

Zelda spotted the entrance to Kokiri village and glanced at Impa only to see that the Sheikah was holding her bridal style.

"You were sleeping," Impa explained as she carefully set Zelda on her feet. "Carrying you seemed appropriate. I am sorry if I offended you."

"No, it's okay. I didn't mean to fall asleep…"

"You went through a lot," Impa murmured as she began to walk forward, Zelda cautiously walking beside her as she once again leaned against the Sheikah. "You deserve some rest."

They had barely made it a few feet into the village when someone yelled, "Halt!"


	25. A Large Spider

Standing before them was a brunette around ten, reaching up to the beginning of Zelda's chest, wearing the green attire of the Kokiri.

The boy glared at the two, blue eyes resolute, arms crossed over his chest as a fairy hovered beside him, seemingly imitating the brunette's stance.

"I said, halt!" the brunette repeated, puffing himself up slightly to appear bigger than Zelda and Impa.

The two blinked at the Kokiri.

"Grown-ups aren't allowed in this forest, especially two strange guys like you."

Zelda gritted her teeth, obviously insulted by what the brunette had said.

Carefully, she disentangled herself from Impa's grasp, the Sheikah making no move to stop her, and slowly limped up the brunette, keeping her injured ankle off the ground.

The Kokiri took a small step back when Zelda stopped in front of him, staring at Zelda warily.

Abruptly, Zelda shoved the brunette to the ground, pulling off the makeshift turban that kept her hair shaped like Sheik's; she had switched out the hat she had originally taken for a turban after visiting Kakariko.

"I'm a girl!"

Just as Zelda finally lost her balance, Impa was there to support her, the Hylian still glaring at the stunned Kokiri.

"Let me guess, you're Mido."

"That's the Great Mido to you!" Mido instantly leaped to his feet, pointing at Zelda, before he became confused as he realized what Zelda had said. "Wait, how do you know my name?"

"Link talked about you a lot." Zelda narrowed her eyes dangerously. "If I could stand on both feet, I'd kick your ass so hard, Link would feel sorry for you. No one messes with my cousin but _me_, got it?"

Mido shrank back at the threat, obviously intimidated, before he bolted away from the two.

"Your Grace, that was not very nice," Impa murmured.

"He deserved it! When Link was younger, before he came out of the forest, Mido would always pick on him, calling him defective and a no fairy loser!"

A girl with short green hair held in place by a dark green headband glanced at the retreating Mido as she walked closer to Impa and Zelda, obviously coming to see what the commotion was.

The Kokiri paused when she saw Zelda.

"Princess Zelda?"

Zelda looked at the green-haired Kokiri and grinned.

"Hey, Saria."

Saria came closer to Zelda, glancing at Impa briefly, before stopping a few feet away from the two.

"What are you doing here?" Saria asked. "Where's Link?"

"I'm going on an adventure without him."

"Oh, how fun," Saria put her hands together as she smiled, looking at Impa once again. "Who's your friend?"

"My name is Imp—" Impa started, but Zelda quickly interrupted her.

"Az. Impaz. Her name is Impaz."

Saria raised an eyebrow and even Impa gave a puzzled look.

Saria suddenly gasped as she noticed Zelda's wounds.

"You're hurt! Come on, let's get you to my house; I have some bandages there."

Impa followed after Saria, still supporting Zelda.

"Your Grace," the Sheikah whispered, glancing down at Zelda. "Why did you correct my name?"

"Saria is another sage; the forest sage. She knows how Aunt Impa is and she would think it's strange for you two to share the same name."

"You should have explained to me sooner that Saria was a sage so I would know to provide her with an alias."

"I thought I did…?" Zelda mumbled to herself before shrugging. "Well, now you know."

Impa sighed quietly as they entered a small house, Saria going off to the side to gather the supplies needed to help Zelda.

Impa gently set Zelda down on the edge of the nearby bed before exiting the house.

Saria watched the Sheikah leave, the thin cloth acting as a door swishing shut behind her.

"Your friend doesn't talk much, does she?" the Kokiri asked as she knelt in front of Zelda, looking at the Hylian's ankle first.

"Not really," Zelda shrugged as she leaned back slightly, her left arm and shoulder twinging slightly, watching Saria bandage her ankle. "But I guess that's why they're called the Shadow Folk."

"You said you were on an adventure," Saria said, moving to the cut on Zelda's stomach next, rubbing antiseptic on it before placing a bandage over it. "Where are you going?"

"I was going to the Great Deku Tree," Zelda explained, bending down a little so Saria could reach the scratch on her forehead.

"Why the Great Deku Tree?" Saria questioned, pausing only briefly after hearing the tree-deity's name. "There's nothing in there but monsters."

"I'm after a golden exoskeleton of a spider. I think it's in the tree."

Saria looked up at Zelda after placing a bandage on the blonde's cut, her blue eyes hardening slightly, a look that did not fit her age.

"Zelda, what are you plotting?"

"Nothing," Zelda smiled innocently.

Saria stared at her skeptically before she stood up with a sigh, closing the box that held her medical supplies.

"It will be dark soon. It's too dangerous to go out at night, so you and Impaz should stay here for the night and go visit the Great Deku Tree tomorrow."

Zelda became surprised.

"Are you sure?"

"I have an extra mat or so around here; you can take the bed," Saria placed a bottle of red liquid on the nightstand. "Drink this red potion, it will help heal your wounds faster."

"Thanks."

Saria nodded and walked outside, pausing a few feet from the entrance.

"Zelda's resting inside," Saria glanced at Impa who sat against the side of the house with her legs crossed. "Do you need any medical attention?"

Impa looked up at the Kokiri and politely shook her head.

"No, I am fine."

"What about your hand?" Saria pointed to Impa's left hand and the Sheikah lifted it up to inspect it.

There was faint blood smeared along the side of her hand near her thumb, but Impa knew it was not her blood for she could not bleed; she must have brushed her hand against one of Zelda's wounds without realizing it.

"No, I am fine," the Sheikah repeated, dropping her hand and gazing at Saria once more. "I must have touched one of Zelda's wounds."

"Okay," Saria stared at the darkening sky, the faint orange and red turning to a bruised purple that signaled night was an hour away. "You should come inside. It's almost dark."

"No, thank you," Impa shook her head briefly. "I will stay out here and stand guard."

Saria's eyes widened slightly and she gave a small "Oh."

She tuned and headed back toward the door, pausing after pushing the curtain aside and glancing back at Impa.

"Okay…offer's still open, though."

Impa watched Saria enter the house before she stared ahead, observing as the village fell silent, the only company for the Sheikah the faint flickering forms of distant fireflies and the howl of a Wolfos in the remote background.

* * *

Saria had just finished making breakfast which consisted of the many berries and fruit of the forest sweetened with dew drops from sweet grass and a glass of crisp water from the nearby creek.

As Zelda ate, Saria stepped halfway outside.

"Impaz, breakfast—"

The young sage stopped.

The spot the Sheikah had occupied the night before was empty.

Saria looked at Zelda.

"Princess Zelda, Impaz is gone."

Zelda paused, glancing at Saria.

"It's okay, she does that. She'll come back, don't worry."

Impa stepped up beside Zelda as Saria made herself a bowl of berries and fruit.

"Good morning, Your Grace," the Sheikah greeted.

Zelda nodded in response as Saria sat across from her.

"How are your wounds today?"

"They're fine," Zelda answered without thinking.

"What?" Saria looked up at Zelda in confusion.

"My wounds," the blonde quickly amended. "They're healing well. Thanks for patching them up."

"Oh, no problem, Princess Zelda."

"You can just call me Zelda."

* * *

After finishing breakfast, Zelda put her hair back in the turban to get it out of her way before heading to where the Great Deku Tree resided, Saria bidding her good luck and to be careful.

As soon as she entered the grove where the Deku Tree was, Zelda tapped Impa's arm to turn her tangible.

Impa stared up at the colossal, lifeless tree before her.

"So this is the...Great Deku Tree," she said, taking note that the tree appeared to have eyebrows, a nose, and a mustache carved into the bark.

The barren tree vaguely reminded the Sheikah of the Great Tree that had overlooked Faron Woods where Faron, the great water dragon, had resided.

Zelda crouched in front of a sprout growing just a few feet before the opening in the roots of the Deku Tree.

"Hello, Deku Sprout," she greeted.

The twigs on the sprout's side twitched as it replied, "Good morning, Princess Zelda."

Surprised, Impa stared at the Deku Sprout.

It had talked.

The Sheikah supposed she shouldn't have been surprised as the Kikwi had been neither plant nor animal, but a mix of both; perhaps the Deku Sprout was some sort of minor deity.

The Deku Sprout glanced at Impa and its gaze hardened.

"I hope you know what you are doing, Zelda," it…he? said sternly. "The curse is much too powerful, too dark. It could prove dangerous."

"You think I would be doing this if I didn't know what I was doing?" Zelda asked as she stood up.

The Deku Sprout sighed, closing his eyes, as Zelda walked into the Deku Tree with Impa trailing after her.

"May the Goddesses watch over you two, then."

* * *

The inside of the tree was pretty simple.

There were five floors—two underneath the roots (the floor Zelda and Impa stood on was one of them, must at the base of the roots) and three above.

"We have to head up to the third floor," Zelda pointed up. "Where Link fought Gohma. I bet that's where we find the exoskeleton."

Impa glanced up at the floors above, noticing that two of them had particularly large holes in the middle (as did the floor they stood on, dropping down into the waterlogged area below), spotting an opening from where she stood that obviously lead to where they wanted to go.

The Sheikah followed after Zelda, who obviously knew that dungeon better than she would.

They reached the entrance to the top room in a matter of minutes and entered it.

It was a large, round room with a high ceiling and many short ledges protruding from the walls at varying heights.

Several cobwebs covered the walls, leftover by Skulltula, and many covered the several holes in the floor; these webs weren't entirely strong, however, and one step could cause them to snap, sending the unfortunate victim plummeting into the moat several feet below.

Zelda spotted something at the far end of the room and pointed toward it.

"Hey, there it is!"

Zelda ran toward the glittering exoskeleton, Impa trailing after her.

"See, here it is!" Zelda picked up the hollow shell, grinning.

The blonde turned the exoskeleton this way and that as Impa also inspected it.

"This thing is what we came all the way here for? Shouldn't there be something to—"

Zelda froze when she sensed something behind her and slowly looked over her shoulder, dropping the exoskeleton at what she saw.

"That's a big arachnid…"


	26. Clueless

The Skulltula was white as opposed to the fuzzy brown Impa remembered and as large as a Moldarach; the Skulltula must have been alive for several years for it to even manage to grow to such a size.

The Skulltula hissed at the two, multiple burning red eyes glaring at them.

"So…" Zelda took a step back, sliding her bow off her shoulder. "Know how to defeat one of these?"

"Get it on its back," Impa spotted a Deku stick lying nearby and picked it up as Zelda pulled out a few arrows. "There should be a weak spot on its abdomen."

The Skulltula leaped at them, causing them to jump to opposite sides, and landed over the exoskeleton Zelda had dropped.

"Are you thinking of your Skulltula or ours?!" Zelda asked as she quickly glanced behind her to avoid a web-covered hole.

"M-mine?" Impa questioned, puzzled as to why Zelda would ask.

Surely the Skulltula's weakness hadn't changed.

The Skulltula growled, glancing between Impa and Zelda as it crouched over the exoskeleton.

Then suddenly the huge spider did something no one expected.

It kicked the hollow shell into an open hole, the exoskeleton dropping into the moat far below.

"Did it just…" Zelda blinked in surprise.

"Yeah."

The Skulltula turned, heading toward Zelda.

"Okay, let's assume its weakness is its belly!" Zelda hopped onto a low ledge to avoid the snap the Skulltula made at her. "Can you distract it and get it on its back so I can shoot it with a light arrow?"

Impa flipped the Deku stick around a few times to get used to the long rod before slamming one end of it into the Skulltula's legs when the spider began to climb the lowest ledge, forcing Zelda to retreat to the next highest.

The Skulltula lost its balance and crashed onto the ledge it had been climbing on before whirling to face Impa with a furious hiss, white fangs glistening with venom.

Zelda stood on the ridge she had escaped to, notching an arrow and filling the tip with pure light.

Impa kept backing up as the Skulltula crept toward her, occasionally glancing behind herself to make certain she wasn't going to walk into one of the holes.

"Hey, I think I see a weak spot on its back!" Zelda called. "Try and get it upright!"

_Upright? _Impa wondered as the Skulltula once again deflected her strike with its leg. _That is easier said than done, Your Grace._

The Sheikah froze when her back hit a wall, looking behind her to see a sticky layer of web covering the wall.

Impa struggled to pull herself away from the wall, but the viscous web only pulled her back and entangled her further.

The Skulltula pounced at the trapped Sheikah who immediately held up the Deku stick diagonally in front of herself in an attempt to block the spider's attack.

"Impa!" Zelda cried in alarm, the bowstring slipping from her grip and releasing the awaiting arrow.

The Skulltula yanked its head from the wall, shaking the dust and debris off as it tossed the broken Deku stick to the side.

The spider glanced beside it when an arrow embedded itself in the dead bark next to its head and glared at Zelda before beginning to head toward the blonde.

Zelda jumped down from the ledge she was on, notching another arrow and aiming it at the advancing arachnid.

"You're gonna regret that, you stupid spider!"

Every arrow Zelda fired at the Skulltula was deflected with a flick of the head or swipe of a black and yellow leg.

Zelda avoided the spider's advances while also trying to evade the many holes in the floor which was becoming increasingly harder as she went along.

Zelda grabbed another arrow, realizing that after the one she held she only had one left.

Aiming carefully, Zelda took a few steps back as the Skulltula continued to come toward her.

Suddenly, there was nothing underneath her right foot and Zelda released the arrow in surprise as she felt herself falling.

Zelda barely had time to scream or figure out a way to stop herself when someone grabbed her wrist.

As she dangled, Zelda glanced up to see who had caught her, shocked when she noticed Impa gripping her wrist, her free hand against the ground to support herself.

"Impa!"

"Hang on, Your Grace," Impa said, grabbing Zelda's wrist with her other hand as she braced her feet against the floor.

Zelda helped Impa pull her back into the room by hooking the curved end of the bow against the top of the hole, using the weapon as leverage to drag herself back onto solid ground.

"Your Grace, are you okay?" Impa questioned, kneeling beside the blonde as Zelda sat on her knees and attempted to catch her breath. "Your Grace?"

Zelda abruptly hugged the Sheikah, practically knocking her down from the force, and Impa immediately thought that something was wrong.

"What is the matter? Are you injured?"

"I thought the Skulltula ate you," Zelda whispered. "I was scared…"

Impa became surprised.

"I am fine, Zelda," the Sheikah assured. "I returned to my more…vaporous form when the Skulltula attacked."

"How was I supposed to know that?!"

Impa sensed something and rapidly grabbed Zelda, leaping backward as the Skulltula slammed its head into the spot they had previous occupied.

The Sheikah released the blonde, picking up one half of the broken Deku stick and striking the side of the spider's head when the Skulltula advanced towards them again.

The Skulltula stumbled, shaking its head from the blow, before it hissed angrily and scrambled toward the wall, climbing to the top and bursting through the ceiling.

"It's headed to the top of the tree," Impa said, looking at Zelda as light filtered through the opening. "We can trap it there."

Zelda pulled out the last arrow from the quiver and stared at it.

"This is the final arrow."

"Then we should make it count," Impa ran toward the ledge, the broken Deku stick by her side, and began to hop up them. "Come on, Your Grace."

Zelda watched as the Sheikah disappeared through the hole before she followed after Impa.

As she came out onto the Deku Tree's head, Zelda saw that Impa had already engaged the Skulltula in battle.

Zelda powered up a light arrow and waited, keeping it aimed at the Skulltula as the Sheikah attempted to get the spider on its back.

Impa jumped back when the Skulltula snapped at her again before thrusting the Deku stick toward the spider, stabbing the jagged end of the stick in the Skulltula's mouth.

The Skulltula squealed and began twisting its head in an attempt to dislodge the stick, only causing more of its black blood to spill on the ground.

Impa kept a tight hold on the other end of the stick and sharply wrenched it to the side, flipping the Skulltula on its side where Zelda released the light arrow to pierce its exposed stomach.

The Skulltula gave a dying shriek as it vanished in a puff of dark smoke like many other monsters did when defeated and Zelda sighed as she slipped the bow onto her shoulder.

"I hate spiders," the blonde grumbled as Impa walked up to her.

"But it is defeated, Your Grace. Now we can head down and retrieve the exoskeleton you wanted."

Zelda pouted for a few seconds before she smiled.

"Yeah. We make a good team," the blonde held up her hand. "C'mon, high five."

Impa stared at the hand for a few seconds, not sure what she was supposed to do, before she slowly placed her hand against Zelda's.

"There ya go," Zelda continued to grin before she stared at their hands, not even feeling the need to tell Impa she could remove her hand; she would have to teach her the rules of a high five later.

Impa's hands were slightly tanner than hers (though Impa herself was tanner than Zelda) and her fingers were longer, more slender, than hers.

Zelda vaguely remembered when they had visited Castle Town and she had intertwined her hand with the Sheikah's.

That had felt…somehow right.

Zelda immediately withdrew her hand before she did something she would regret and strode away from the puzzled Sheikah.

"Come on, let's get the exoskeleton and return to Kokiri Village. I bet Saria is worried about us."

* * *

After getting the exoskeleton from the moat, Zelda and Impa returned to the village where Saria patiently waited by the entrance to the Deku Tree's grove.

The sun was beginning to set by the time they returned and Saria immediately suggested they stay the night again.

Zelda agreed and after dinner, the trio sat outside and watched the fireflies flying about.

Saria quietly watched as Zelda dragged Impa off the porch and began to show the Sheikah how to catch the fireflies without hurting them.

Impa stared at the many fireflies flitting around before slowly reaching up a hand, a firefly flying into her palm.

She watched the firefly crawl toward the tip of her index finger, not feeling its tiny feet on her skin, and lifted her hand higher so the firefly could take off.

Saria glanced toward Zelda, noticing that the Hylian was watching the Sheikah's actions.

Zelda observed Impa with a soft smile, her endeavors to catch several fireflies halted as she watched the Sheikah.

Saria sighed, leaning back on her hands as she continued to watch the two, her fairy resting on her right shoulder.

"They're clueless, aren't they?"


	27. A Simple Game

Early the next morning, just before dawn, Zelda was already awake.

Zelda took a few of the leftover fruit and berries, putting them in a small knapsack, before looking toward Saria's bed to see that the Kokiri was still asleep.

She wrote a quick note to Saria, telling her thanks for allowing her to stay and saying good-bye, before placing the note where she was sure Saria would be able to see it when she woke up.

As Zelda crossed the bridge that lead to the Lost Woods with Impa tailing after her, she paused when a voice said, "You're leaving without verbally telling me goodbye?"

Zelda jumped at the voice, surprised, and whirled around.

"Saria! N-no, I left a…" Zelda sighed at Saria's raised eyebrow. "Sorry."

"No, I understand," Saria shook her head. "You have to leave."

Saria stepped closer to Zelda, staring at the planks of the wooden bridge beneath her feet as she wrung her hands together.

"Please, be careful," Saria glanced up at Zelda, blue eyes worried. "I sense something is going to happen in the next few months. Link will have to do something he will not like…something will also happen to Sheik and…"

Saria glanced toward Impa as if she could see the Sheikah standing somewhat behind Zelda.

"Do you know exactly what's going to happen?" Zelda asked.

Saria's staring contest with Impa was broken and she shook her head.

"No, that's all I could get. I'm sorry."

"It's fine. Not all premonitions will tell you straight out. They're like a puzzle, you have to figure it out or wait until the event happens."

"Please, don't tell Link. If he knows about it, he'll worry. And when he worries, he tries to make sure the event won't happen."

"Don't worry, it's our little secret." Zelda smiled before she frowned slightly, resting her cheek in her hand. "I guess I shouldn't tell Sheik either. Mother Hen Sheik is worse than Normal Sheik."

Saria smiled in relief. "Thank you, Zelda."

Zelda raised a hand as she turned and began to walk away. "No prob. See you later, Saria."

Impa glanced back at Saria as they entered the log, watching as the Kokiri turned and went back to the village, before she looked at Zelda.

"Your Grace, her premonition…"

"Huh?" Zelda glanced back at Impa briefly before she looked forward again. "Don't worry about it. Link will be able to handle whatever comes his way. He is the Hero of Time after all."

"But are you certain that we should not tell him?"

"He'll worry. And when he worries, he tends to not sleep. And when he doesn't sleep, he gets a bit strange."

"Strange?" Impa asked as Zelda petted Epona who was patiently waiting by the entrance to the woods. "Strange, how?"

"He yelled at a tree one time, thinking it was Ganon."

_That strange… _the Sheikah realized.

"What about Sheik? You said he would…turn into a hen?"

Zelda glanced at Impa strangely before she burst out laughing, resting her forehead against Epona's withers.

"No, no! It's metaphorical! A mother hen is someone who is overprotective."

"Like myself," Impa stated bluntly. "I am a…mother hen."

"No, no!" Zelda straightened, waving her hands. "You're not a…"

Zelda sighed, scratching the back of her neck as she tried to think of something.

"You're a…mother Wolfos! Yeah. You don't just care for me, you kick anyone's ass if they hurt me."

"But…" Impa tilted her head to the side, blinking. "Sheik would do the same thing if Link were hurt, correct? Would that not make him a mother Wolfos instead of a mother hen?"

Zelda groaned, dropping her head into her hands.

She was giving up; Impa was impossible to teach.

"Okay, fine. He's a mother Wolfos," Zelda climbed into Epona's saddle, glancing down at the Sheikah. "Let's go. I want to get more arrows and reach Gerudo Valley before the sun gets too high."

Impa nodded and followed Zelda as the Hylian set Epona into a canter.

* * *

Zelda stopped Epona when they reached the steps that lead to Kakariko and slid down from the saddle, telling Epona and Impa to stay there because she was going to be back in a few minutes.

After she had gotten enough arrows to fill up the quiver and hopefully get her through the Haunted Wasteland, Zelda headed toward Impa's house to see if her nursemaid had visited it since she and Impa had been there; Zelda was certain that if Darunia and Saria had left the Sacred Realm, the silver-haired Sheikah had as well.

Zelda entered the house quietly, glancing around to see that nothing had been moved and it appeared as if Impa hadn't returned yet.

The front door shut behind Zelda as she reached the middle of the floor, causing her to jump and whirl around, grabbing an arrow and notching it as she slid the bow off her shoulder, aiming behind her.

The blonde paused when she saw Impa leaning against the wall, arms crossed, staring at Zelda blankly.

Zelda sighed in relief, lowering her bow and placing the arrow back into the quiver.

"Oh, Aunt Impa, it's just you."

Impa continued to gaze at Zelda before she straightened, raising an eyebrow.

"You've been busy. What exactly are you doing, going on a journey without the hero to protect you?"

"I can protect myself!" Zelda protested, glowering at Impa. "I'm not a child anymore!"

"Why are you gathering items…" Impa tilted her head slightly to the side, smirking a little. "Like a golden exoskeleton?"

"Wha—how'd you—"

"Saria and Darunia told me what you're doing…or at least, what they know you're doing."

"Ugh, stupid sage telepathy…" Zelda kicked at the ground. "Why can't I have that?"

"Why are you dressed like that?" Impa came closer to Zelda who immediately began to back up, quickly maneuvering so that she was heading toward the door. "And why do you have the hero's bow and quiver?"

"Yes and yes," Zelda smiled innocently.

"That doesn't answer my question," Impa said as Zelda's back hit the front door, leaning down slightly to intimidate Zelda.

Zelda glanced off to the side to avoid Impa's gaze as she placed her hands behind her back.

"Zelda…" the Sheikah said warningly.

"All right! I'm dressed like this to disguise myself and the bow and arrows are for protection!"

"So what are you planning, Zelda? You aren't the type to go on a journey on a whim."

"Oh, would you look at the time…" Zelda fumbled for the doorknob behind her. "I gotta—"

When she managed to grab the doorknob, Zelda opened the door and bolted for her life.

Impa stared after the retreating Zelda with mild irritation, but decided that Zelda would eventually reveal exactly what she was up to.

* * *

Impa glanced up when she heard someone coming toward her and Epona, spotting a nervous Zelda jogging up to her

"You were going longer than a few minutes."

"Th-there was a…huge line, yeah! A huge line!" Zelda grinned, avoiding Impa's eyes. "It…the store was having everything half off!"

"Oh…" Impa blinked, mildly confused as to why Zelda wouldn't look her in the eyes. "Okay."

"Let's get to the valley," Zelda climbed into Epona's saddle. "It's near noon and the valley gets really hot during that time."

Zelda set Epona into a fast canter, crossing the vast expanse of Hyrule Field and heading toward Gerudo Valley positioned at the far northwest side of Hyrule.

* * *

As they entered the northwest corner of Hyrule, the grass began to turn brown before fading to parched, barren ground as two walls of land rose up on either side, short wooden fences racing along the brim of the elevated earth to prevent anyone from falling off.

Zelda passed through the large gap the walls made, steering Epona to the right and leading her to an area with high cliffs on either side that formed a medium, winding path.

They soon came to a basin of clear water, a stream of water coming down from a small crevice in the cliff face on the right side. A hefty plank of wood spanned the length of the huge gap.

Zelda carefully lead Epona across the board, the mare watching where she stepped carefully.

A huge bridge extended over a considerable chasm where a river, fed by a small waterfall, flowed below.

Epona crossed the bridge with little trepidation, the bridge not even moving slightly with her weight.

On the other side was a considerable tent where several men loitered, laughing and joking with each other.

Zelda slid down from Epona before steering the horse toward who she assumed was the leader.

"Excuse me."

The man stopped talking with his colleague, glancing at Zelda.

"Could you maybe watch my horse for a day or two while I visit the Gerudo?"

The man looked between Zelda and Epona almost skeptically before he smiled.

"Yeah, sure. We'll take care of your horse."

"Thanks," Zelda handed the reins to the man, patting Epona's muzzle, before she headed to the entrance of the Gerudo Fortress.

Impa quietly followed after her, silently wondering if it had been a good idea to leave Epona with complete strangers.

The fortress appeared formidable, built out of grey stone with many levels, entrances, and windows.

Stairs carved into the ground lead up to the raised part of the ground where the fortress sat. To the far left was a wooden gate that lead to the Haunted Wasteland.

Impa didn't know why, but she didn't like the place.

Perhaps it was because she remembered the Gerudo had been the cause of the Sheikah's decline; however she felt no animosity towards them.

"Freeze!"

Impa immediately paused, noticing that several brown-skinned women with crimson hair (several tied in ponytails, others short and scruffy) and gold eyes surrounded them.

Unlike Hylians and Sheikah, they had round ears and a prominent nose. The women wore similar lightweight, red pants, white or red shirts that only seemed to cover their chests and exposed their flat bellies and midsections, and brown, pointed shoes.

The women kept their glaives pointed at Zelda who raised her hands above her head in response.

"Weapons, on the ground," one Gerudo ordered.

Carefully, Zelda slid the bow and quiver off her shoulders, allowing them to drop to the dusty ground.

One of the Gerudo gathered up her weapons as another prodded Zelda to get her moving.

Impa followed after Zelda, wondering why she didn't remove her turban because surely the Gerudo knew Zelda was the princess.

But Zelda remained quiet, not uttering a complaint, as she kept a bored expression on her face.

Perhaps she knew something Impa did not.

The Gerudo leading Zelda into the fortress eventually thinned out until there were only two of them.

After several turns and walking up small slopes, they reached a room at the far back and highest level of the fortress.

After knocking on the closed door to announce themselves, the two Gerudo entered the room with Zelda in front of them.

Sitting at a crudely made desk foo wood was a woman in her late twenties with an orange gem in the middle of her forehead (like many Gerudo had) and red hair tied up in a ponytail.

Unlike the red clothes the other Gerudo wore, she wore pale pink pants and a white tube top.

Standing behind the Gerudo at the desk was another Gerudo with a yellow jewel on her forehead and green clothes.

"Exalted Nabooru," one Gerudo said respectfully. "We found this boy wandering around outside."

"Really?" Nabooru asked. "Well, boy, why have you visited us?"

"Heeeyy, Nabs," Zelda greeted as she pulled off her turban.

"Zelda?!" Nabooru asked in surprise.

"The princess?!" one Gerudo questioned, every Gerudo in the room, except for Nabooru, dropping down on one knee.

"Whoa, whoa, hey! I've told you guys, no bowing in my presence!" Zelda said. "Look, you guys, think I could speak to Nabooru alone?"

The two Gerudo who had lead her to Nabooru left the room without another sound.

Nabooru glanced at the Gerudo beside her.

"She said alone, Aveil," the sage said. "Go on."

"But—"

"Go."

Aveil huffed, reluctantly leaving the room, shutting the door behind her.

Nabooru focused her attention on Zelda, raising an eyebrow.

"Okay, what do you want, Zelda?"

"I need to go to the Haunted Wasteland to get something."

"Get what?"

Zelda shuffled her feet a little bit, wondering if she should tell Nabooru.

"Just a flower. I dunno anything about it, but I need it."

Nabooru remained silent for a few seconds, as if she were considering Zelda's request, her eyes briefly flickering to the side.

For a moment, Impa had thought it had been a trick of the light as the movement had been so fast, but it appeared as if Nabooru had glanced at her.

"Okay, I'll let you go," Nabooru leaned back in her chair.

"Really?" Zelda perked up, grinning.

"If! You beat three of my best players at a simple game."

Zelda blinked.

"What sort of game?"

Nabooru grinned, leaning forward.

"Poker."


	28. Like a Gerudo

Nabooru lead Zelda to a room that was near the grand hall where the Gerudo had their meals.

The room was large with multiple windows and several round tables made from a dull brown, almost sand-colored, stone, covered with the skin of a Leever; Zelda spotted a pool table near the corner of the room, the table covered with the rough, durable hide of a Dinolfos.

Zelda had only played pool once at the tavern in Castle Town, but she had enjoyed the game very much.

"Have you played poker before?" Nabooru asked as she walked up to a nearby table where a girl around twelve sat with three other females in their twenties sitting across from her.

"I saw a game of it once at the tavern in Castle Town," Zelda said, "but I came near the middle of it so I don't know if it was poker. I got the basic rules, though, and came up with strip poker."

Nabooru glanced at Zelda with a raised eyebrow.

"Strip poker?"

"I'll let you figure out how to play it," Zelda grinned at Nabooru as they paused in front of the table.

"All right," Nabooru stood next to the young girl. "This is Nakami, our dealer. She knows the basics of poker but not enough that she'll help certain players cheat."

Nakami huffed, blowing a few strands of the red hair hanging in her face out of her eyes, looking bored.

"From left to right are the three best players I have. Zavai,"

Zavai had shoulder-length hair and a small scar on her left cheek.

"Kazae,"

Kazae's hair fell over the right side of her face, much like a fringe, shielding the eye that was blind.

"And Furane."

The tips of Furane's hair was highlighted with an orange dye, making her hair appear like flames. Black, zig-zagging marks ran down her right arm from the bottom of her eye to the beginning of her wrist.

Zelda sat down at the far right of the table as Nakami shuffled a deck made of cypress and covered with the skin of a Leever to protect the fragile paper.

"We use six different colored chips to make bets," Nabooru explained. "You can bet all the chips you have or half, but you have to bet something."

"So…you don't get, like, money for winning?" Zelda asked.

"No, not really."

"Can I make it more interesting, then?"

The Gerudo all glanced at each other before Nabooru said, "All right. What do you want to suggest?"

"Let me see the color chips you guys use."

Nabooru laid six coin-like objects on the table, each one painted with four lines, of different colors.

Green, blue, red, purple, silver, and orange.

"Okay, so let's say each chip is like a rupee. The ones with the green lines are one, blue is five, red is 20, purple is 50, silver is 100, and orange is 200. We each start with 400 'rupees' and the first player to reach 2,000 wins. The winner then gets 2,000 rupees."

The three other players appeared interested by the proposition while Nabooru gave a look that said the game would end badly, but she didn't object to the idea.

"Okay, that sounds good," Nabooru glanced at Nakami. "You ready to begin?"

Nakami silently nodded, the bored look still on her face as she tossed eight purple chips at each of the players.

"Okay, guys, bets in!"

Zavai, Kazae, and Furane each tossed two chips into the middle of the table while Zelda only put in one.

Nakami dealt out two cards to everyone, face down, before discarding the top card of the deck beside her.

Nakami then placed three cards in the center of the table, flipping them up one by one.

Two, five, and ace, all of the hearts.

Zelda glanced at her cards, seeing a five of spades and an eight of hearts, before placing another chip into the pool after the other three did; there was now 550 in the pot.

Nakami discarded another card from the top of the deck before turning another card up beside the other three.

A ten of clubs.

Again, they all placed a bet into the pool, each one of them only placing one chip; Zelda realized perhaps they were now being cautious since it appeared to be about time to reveal their hands.

Nakami burned a fifth card then placed the final one in the middle of the table.

A five of clubs.

"Bah, whatever," Zavai tossed her cards down as Kazae, Furane, and Zelda each placed another chip into the pool as their final bet. "I fold."

"Reveal your hand," Nakami ordered.

Furane, Zelda, and Kazae all flipped their cards up on the table.

Impa quietly watched from where she stood close to Nabooru, wondering how once could tell who won.

"Zelda has won this round with 3 of a kind," Nakami announced, taking Zelda's chips so she could switch the amount out to an easier amount to keep track of.

"I did?" Zelda seemed surprised as Nakami handed her four orange chips and two purple ones.

"Zelda, you got three fives. Furane didn't make a match," Nabooru explained. "And Kazae only got a two pair. Three of a kind beats a two pair."

"Oh…" Zelda blinked as Nakami gathered up all the cards and shuffled them.

Zelda grinned.

"Awesome."

"Bets in," Nakami said as she dealt out the cards.

Zelda, feeling a little confident, placed in two of her orange chips after the other three had each placed a single purple chip into the pot.

Nakami burned the top card of the deck before flipping up the top three cards.

A ten of spades, a nine of hearts, and a ten of clubs.

Zelda peeked at her cards to see what she had.

A five of spades and a ten of diamonds.

At worse, she could get another three of a kind.

Feeling a bit cocky, Zelda put in another orange chip after the other three had each put in a single purple chip.

Discarding another card, Nakami flipped up the fourth one.

A two of hearts.

With a growl, Kazae flipped down her cards, calling a fold after Zavai placed her second to last chip into the pot. Furane also folded and Zelda put in one of her purple chips.

The last card flipped up was a nine of diamonds.

Zavai put in her last chip, Zelda placing her other purple chip into the pool.

"Reveal your hands," Nakami said.

Zelda and Zavai flipped up their cards.

"You're a natural at this, Zelda!" Nabooru said as Nakami announced that Zelda had a full house.

Zavai stood up and left with a huff while Furane and Kazae both threw their left over chips into Zelda's pile before following after the irritated Zavai.

Zelda blinked, puzzled by their reactions.

"Does this mean I win?" she asked as Nakami counted her chips.

"100 short," Nakami murmured, looking at Nabooru.

"100, huh…" Nabooru scratched the back of her neck before grinning, snapping her fingers. "Okay, I'll let you into the Wasteland."

"What, really?!" Zelda eagerly hopped to her feet.

"If," Nabooru continued, walking closer to Zelda. "You give me 500 rupees out of your 1,900."

"What? No! I'll give you 200 and a hug."

"500 and no hug."

"You don't like my hugs?"

"Girl, I give better hugs than you."

Zelda growled, standing up on her tip toes slightly to try and appear as tall as Nabooru since the Gerudo was a little bit taller than she was.

Impa looked between the two, wondering if she should step in or let the two continue their childish arguing.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Zelda and Nabooru grinned at each other before they laughed, punching the other's arm.

"All right," Nabooru relented. "200 and a hug."

"300," Zelda handed Nabooru the amount in chips. "And I want my bow and arrows back."

* * *

Zelda and a few other Gerudo stood at the opened entrance to the Haunted Wasteland, Zelda shouldering her bow and quiver.

"You be careful out there, Zelda," Nabooru said with a grin. "There are a lot of Leever out there and freak sandstorms can pop up if you're not aware."

"I know," Zelda sighed as she fiddled with the turban to get her hair back into the Sheik-like fringes. "Watch out for Leevers and sandstorms. Got it."

"And, Zelda…?"

"Huh?" Zelda looked up as she finished tying the turban, glancing at Nabooru curiously. "Yeah?"

Nabooru looked nervous, as if she wasn't sure whether she should bring up whatever she wanted to tell Zelda about, so she merely smiled.

"Ah, never mind. I'll talk to ya when ya get back, yeah?"

Zelda seemed puzzled by the Gerudo's reaction, but she didn't say anything, choosing to grin instead.

"Okay," Zelda turned, raising her hand as she entered the Haunted Wasteland with Impa following after her. "See ya, guys."

As the few Gerudo seeing Zelda off yelled 'good-bye' and 'good luck' after her, Nabooru glanced at Aveil.

"You know…she's more of a Gerudo than we are."

"Nab…" Aveil stared at Nabooru skeptically. "What are you thinking?"

I'm thinkin'…we give Zelda an initiation once she gets back."


	29. I'm Calling it Dinner

The Haunted Wasteland was an extensive desert that reminded Impa of Lanaryu with the vast expanse of sand spreading out into the distance.

Poles with red flags attached to the top were seen in the background and the Sheikah supposed that they were there to help travelers through the wasteland; a constant wind was blowing, kicking up sand so that it was hard to see but one could still see several yards in front of them.

Zelda stopped at the entrance to the desert, staring at the small ditch in front of her; the ditch had sand sliding down the sides, a box halfway protruding from the ground in the middle.

"Oh, man, I forgot about this…" Zelda muttered, pulling out an arrow and tossing it into the shallow trench, watching as the shaft was quickly swallowed. "Link used the hover boots to get across…ugh, man, I'm stupid!"

Zelda slapped her forehead.

"I should have brought them or the longshot…now how am I gonna get across?"

Impa looked at the ditch, observing the space between where they stood and the other side, before she silently began to cross the gap.

Zelda glanced up, watching Impa traverse the gulch, with wide eyes.

"Wait, what are you—"

The Sheikah made it to the opposite side and gazed back at Zelda who scowled at her in frustration.

"That's great for you, but what about me?!"

Impa returned to where Zelda stood, looking at the Hylian calmly.

"Your Grace, I may have an idea as to how you may cross."

Zelda stared at the Sheikah skeptically, raising an eyebrow as she crossed her arms.

"Okay…"

"If your touch turns me corporeal, why should the opposite not be possible?"

Zelda appeared surprised by Impa's suggestion, her arms almost dropping to her side, briefly glancing at the gap beside her.

"You mean, it might be possible to turn me intangible?"

"Theoretically."

"You're not sure?"

"It would be my first time attempting such a thing," Impa said patiently, waiting for Zelda to make up her mind.

Zelda looked apprehensive, but she slowly nodded.

"Okay, let's try it."

Without asking, or waiting for Zelda's permission, the Sheikah grabbed her hand and began to lead Zelda cross the trench.

Zelda kept a strong grip on Impa's hand, staring at the shore on the opposite side so she wouldn't look down and panic.

"Okay, Your Grace," Impa murmured, looking at Zelda. "You can release my hand now."

"Oh," Zelda quickly let go of the Sheikah's hand, not realizing that they had already crossed.

"We should continue," Impa said, already starting to walk. "It gets cold in a desert during the night. It would be best to reach our destination before the sun sets."

"Right," Zelda nodded and followed after Impa, her hand still tingling slightly from the Sheikah's touch.

* * *

A sandstorm had decided to brew the moment they were almost halfway through the desert.

The poles with the flapping scraps of red cloth disappeared in the violently swirling sand and the two could barely see a foot in front of them.

"We have to find those poles again!" Zelda shouted over the howling wind, her arms in front of her face to try and keep the sand out of her eyes and mouth. "They'll lead us to a Poe that will take us to the spirit temple!"

"Why can we not just keep going straight?" Impa asked, the storm affecting even her. "If we try to maintain a straight path, we should reach the deepest part of the desert."

"If you don't find the Poe, you will be lost in the desert forever. It's called the 'Haunted' Wasteland for a reason!"

Impa looked around, trying to discern anything that looked like a marker.

She saw something faintly in the distance that appeared to be red.

"I found a marker, Your Grace!" the Sheikah pointed in the direction of the discovered marker. "We should go to it and stay put until the storm passes!"

Impa glanced beside her when she didn't hear Zelda's reply and looked around when she couldn't see the blonde beside her.

"Your Grace! Where are you?"

Impa took a few steps to either side, moving her arms out to the sides in an attempt to see if she could feel Zelda anywhere nearby.

"Zelda!"

The Sheikah gave up searching for Zelda, realizing if she got any further, she would risk getting even more lost.

Impa turned around and began to head toward the red flag she saw, hoping Zelda had discovered the same thing and had already gone to the marker.

As she neared the marker, Impa noticed that there was another one parallel to it as if marking the entrance to something.

She took another step forward and almost stumbled when her foot went lower than expected.

Frowning slightly, the Sheikah took another step forward, her other foot dropping even lower than the first.

Stairs.

Cautiously, Impa continued down the steps, which by the sound of her footsteps, were made of some sort of stone; she wasn't quite sure where the stairs lead or who would even build a structure in the middle of a desolate desert.

Faint light filtered through the small cracks in the rock ceiling and what appeared to be a window to the left was tightly boarded up.

It was small, probably only made to fit about twenty people. It looked like a bunker, something for travelers or possibly the Gerudo to stop by when they were tired.

Impa glanced around, but found no sign that Zelda, or anyone, had been in the bunker for several years.

Sitting down near a wall, Impa drew her legs to her chest and rested her chin on her knees as she wrapped her arms around her legs; she felt quite childish sitting in such a position, remembering that the last time she had sat like that had been shortly after Hylia had taken her in.

* * *

_It had been a few months since the fire, but the now five-year-old Impa had forgotten almost all about it._

_She sat in the middle of a clearing, watching several Hylian kids her age play with a ball._

_She had, several minutes earlier, come over and politely ask them if she could play with them as well._

_However, the children had all stared at her suspiciously the moment she approached and declined her request, saying that they didn't want to play with the demon-eyed girl._

"_They're not demon eyes…" the Sheikah muttered, staring at the laughing kids moodily, tightening her grip around her legs. "They're not."_

_"What aren't?"_

_Impa looked up sharply with a gasp, noticing Hylia standing beside her._

"_Your Grace!"_

_Hylia calmly waved a hand when the Sheikah made to stand, silently telling her to remain where she was._

_She glanced over at the children who had stopped playing and were staring at the Goddess in awe._

"_Please, continue."_

_A few of the kids looked at each other before they shrugged and the group resumed their activity._

_Hylia gazed down at Impa, tilting her head slightly._

"_Why are you not playing with them?"_

_"They don't wanna play with me," the Sheikah responded glumly. "They called me demon eyes…"_

_Hylia chuckled softly, "I think your eyes are beautiful."_

_Upon hearing that, Impa blushed in embarrassment and glanced off to the side._

"_You're just saying that…"_

_Hylia knelt down beside Impa._

"_Impa, do you know what that ruby gem signifies?"_

_The Sheikah slowly looked at the Goddess and shook her head._

"_The gem symbolizes beauty, dignity, happiness, love, and passion. Your eyes, much like the gem, signify those. They are not the eyes of a demon or something bad; certainly, there are creatures with such eyes, but you are human. Don't let anyone tell you that you are not."_

_Impa thought about what Hylia said before she gradually smiled._

"_Okay!"_

_The Goddess smiled gently in return._

"_Now…" she stood up and held out her hand for the Sheikah to take. "Let's see about finding a game for just the two of us to play."_

* * *

Impa looked up with a slight start, glancing around.

As she stood up, the Sheikah idly rubbed at her temple.

It appeared as if the daydream-like memories were becoming a habit.

Impa exited the underground structure, coming out into the calm, scorching desert; the sandstorm appeared to have ceased a while ago.

Following the now visible poles with red flags, Impa was lead to a platform where a strange floating creature waited.

The Sheikah suspected this creature, holding a lantern, must have been the Poe that Zelda mentioned.

The Poe began to float away and Impa followed after it, assuming that it would probably lead her to where Zelda was.

* * *

As soon as she had entered the area, the Poe had vanished with a strange chuckle.

At the far end of the desert was a temple with an oasis to the far west of it and another oasis even further back.

Was this the place that Zelda had wanted to visit?

Impa slowly began to walk forward, looking for the princess.

If so, where was she?

As she got closer to the temple, Impa noticed someone crouching by the oasis and gradually came closer to them.

"…Your Grace?"

Zelda glanced over her shoulder at the Sheikah and grinned.

"Oh, there you are! I was wondering where you disappeared to!"

"How did you—" Impa started, but Zelda interrupted her, holding something up for the Sheikah to see as she straightened.

"Look what I found! I think this is the last thing!"

"An Ancient Flower…" Impa said softly as she gazed at the plant while Zelda also admired it. "How did it survive this long?"

"I dunno, but isn't it pretty?" Zelda carefully placed the Ancient Flower in the pouch Nabooru had given her to hold food and a small water flask. "But wait…if I remember correctly…"

Zelda looked around.

"There's supposed to be this other desert creature that's also survived…"

Impa also glanced around, not quite sure what exactly Zelda was talking about.

She paused when she spotted a creature nearby, idly walking in no particular direction.

It was old, its normally red exoskeleton a pale pink and the upright, antennae-like appendages drooping with age, but the Sheikah still recognized the large arthropod creature.

An Ampilus.

Impa was about to tell Zelda they needed to get to the temple before the blonde noticed the Ampilus, but just as she was about to open her mouth, Zelda shouted, "Hey, look, I think I found it!"

The Ampilus's gold eyes turned toward them, antennae pricking up slightly, before it withdrew into its shell and began whirling toward the duo, electricity sparking.

Zelda stopped for a moment, not quite sure how to react to the Ampilus's choice of attack.

Impa pushed Zelda toward the temple.

"Temple, now. Go!"

Zelda wasted no time in running toward the temple, Impa beside her.

"What is that thing?" Zelda asked.

"An Ampilus, a creature from my time," the Sheikah explained calmly. "I had heard they could live for eons, much like a Moldarach, but I never suspected this long…"

"Well, that's great!" Zelda said breathlessly, still somehow remaining sarcastic. "But how do we kill it?! It's like a rolling electric ball of doom!"

"Yes, they can produce electricity internally…" the Sheikah murmured, mentally struggling to remember the Ampilus's weakness.

She had never killed one herself as she had avoided them when she had been with Her Grace.

However, she had observed the Hero kill a few, through trial and error (and sometimes running away like a coward especially during the first few times he had faced them).

"A shield…or something hard. If it rams into something sturdy, it will become dazed long enough to dispose of it."

"Hmm…" Zelda glanced round and her eyes landed on the area beside the temple's entrance. "Ohh…"

Impa skidded to a halt when Zelda abruptly split from her side, heading toward the temple's right side.

"Your Grace, where are you going?!"

Zelda just grinned as she slipped the bow off her shoulder, holding it by her side as she flipped up the cap she had made for the quiver to prevent the arrows from falling out if she flipped over.

As she neared the wall, Zelda jumped up and, using her momentum, darted up the wall as high as she could.

When the Ampilus crashed into the wall seconds later, getting thrown back slightly from the collision, Zelda flipped over the desert monster and landed a few feet behind it.

Impa stared at Zelda in mild surprise, the princess also appearing amazed at what she had just accomplished.

"Ha!" Zelda suddenly pointed at the sky. "Told ya I could do it, Sheik! You owe me 100 rupees!"

The Sheikah relaxed slightly, shaking her head a bit at Zelda's performance, before glancing at the Ampilus.

"Your Grace!" she warned when she noticed the Ampilus was gradually beginning to shake itself out of its stupor.

"Oh, right," Zelda opened the quiver and went to the Ampilus's side, rapidly firing two arrows into the creature's skull.

The Ampilus squealed and fell limp, but just to make sure it was dead, Zelda shot it with another arrow.

As Impa came closer to Zelda, the blonde cautiously poked the lifeless Ampilus with the tip of her bow.

Zelda glanced at Impa with a grin.

"Guess who just got dinner."


	30. By My Side

The sun was just beginning to set beyond the horizon when Zelda returned to the Gerudo Fortress, dragging the Ampilus behind her.

Several of the Gerudo, including Nabooru and Aveil, awaited the princess's return and were astonished when she came back through the gate, hauling the arthropod using one hand and hair sticking out through various spots of her turban.

"Hey, guys," Zelda grinned, using her other hand to brush off whatever sand was sticking to her cheek. "Look what I got!"

A few Gerudo cautiously went closer to the Ampilus as Zelda released its antennae, poking the creature with their spears.

"Is it edible?" one asked.

"Bet it has good meat," another commented.

"All right, everyone!" Nabooru called, stepping up beside Zelda. "Thanks to Zelda,"

She put an arm around the Hylian's shoulders.

"We are going to have a feast!"

The Gerudo cheered and several began to drag the Ampilus to the fortress.

"Whoa, we're having a feast?" Zelda asked, puzzled by all the excitement. "Just cause I brought that back?"

"Zel, we haven't had a catch that big in forever," Nabooru explained, keeping her arm around Zelda as she also began to head to the fortress. "Of course we're gonna have a feast!"

* * *

Zelda stood off to the side, watching in mild fascination as the Gerudo bustled around, setting the long table that sat in the middle of the grand hall.

Some Gerudo watched or talked amongst themselves, drinking from the polished wooden goblets which held the tribe's strong wine.

Zelda sighed as she leaned against a nearby pillar, waiting for the preparations to be finished.

"Your Grace."

Startled, Zelda glanced beside her as she straightened, noticing a tired Impa standing a few feet away.

"Impa, you're back! Are you okay?"

"I am fine," Impa nodded with a faint smile. "I merely had to rest after turning both you and the Ampilus intangible in order to cross the ditch."

"That's fine, I sorta suspected it anyway."

"Your hair is down," Impa noted, looking at the Hylian's blonde hair falling against her shoulders.

"Oh, yeah," Zelda brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face. "Nabs said I could take it out of the turban since we're all friends here."

"And what is this?" Impa shifted her gaze to the setting up of the feast.

"A feast, cause I brought the Ampilus back," Zelda shrugged.

"What a strange reaction to returning with a carcass of a monster," the Sheikah murmured.

"Hey, Zel!"

Zelda glanced behind her to see Nabooru waving her over. She looked back at Impa who was over at the table, inspecting the Gerudo's table decorations.

Deciding that Impa would be fine for a few minutes, Zelda padded over to Nabooru.

"Hey—"

"Are you being haunted?"

Zelda blinked at the abrupt question, taken aback.

"Wh-what?"

"Her!" Nabooru pointed to Impa as she pulled Zelda closer in a 'this is our secret' gesture. "I saw her when you first came in, but she was gone when you returned with the crab thing and now she's back again!"

"Wait," Zelda pulled away from Nabooru, staring at her in surprise. "You can see her?"

"Of course I can! Girl, I am the sage of spirit. Ever since I became it, I've seen weird things, but a ghost is not one of them."

Nabooru grabbed Zelda's shoulders and shook her.

"Now, I ask you again, how did you get haunted by a Sheikah?"

Zelda chuckled as she pulled Nabooru's hands away.

"She's not haunting me."

"Well, then," Nabooru put her hands on her hips in a stumped gesture. "I just don't understand."

"Understand what?"

"Why you went to the Haunted Wasteland. I thought you went there because you found out a way to, you know," Nabooru made a fluttering motion with her hands, "make her pass on."

Zelda snorted then burst into giggles.

"What?! What's so funny?!"

"No! I went to the Wasteland to find the last ingredient."

"Ingredient?" Nabooru repeated with a raised eyebrow.

"I haven't told anyone, but…" Zelda grabbed Nabooru's arm and pulled her closer, whispering in her ear.

"Really?" Nabooru pulled back, staring at Zelda skeptically. "You know that's dangerous, right? Not many have been successful."

"I know," Zelda sighed as she glanced at Impa, noticing that the Sheikah was watching them from the pillar she had stood at several minutes ago. "But I want to at least try."

Nabooru glanced between her and Impa before a sly smile crossed her face.

"Ooohhh, you liikkee her, don't you?"

A blush appeared on Zelda's cheeks and the princess stared at Nabooru in a mix of horror and embarrassment.

"No, I don't!"

"Yes, you do! I can tell!" Nabooru squished up her face, giving a coo. "Aww, my Zelly's growin' up, getting a crush on a dead person!"

"Shh, shut up!" Zelda flailed her hands, trying to quiet the snickering Gerudo. "I don't like her!"

"Tell that to the blush!"

A few minutes later, Aveil walked up to get Nabooru, and stopped at what she saw.

Zelda had Nabooru in a headlock, hissing threats at the cackling sage.

"Do I even want to know?" she asked as the two glanced at her.

"No," Nabooru said between chuckles. "I don't think you do."

Aveil glanced between the two as Zelda finally released Nabooru who stood up and rubbed her neck.

"Okay," the second-in-command decided. "The feast is ready. We are merely waiting for you and Zelda."

"All right," Nabooru nodded as she followed after Aveil.

Zelda followed a few seconds later, Impa trailing after her.

* * *

It had been a pretty normal dinner.

Everyone ate, talked, and laughed.

Zelda refused the wine offered to her, reminding several that she was seventeen, choosing to drink water.

Impa watched quietly, somewhat fascinated by the Gerudo's customs and habits.

Near the end of the dinner, however, Zelda began to act strangely.

More giggly and less refined than usual, swaying every so often as if she were dizzy.

"Your Grace, are you all right?" Impa asked, leaning closer to Zelda with a slightly worried look.

"I'm fine!" Zelda said childishly, apparently attempting to hit Impa's arm and failing horribly, almost falling out of her chair.

"All right, Zel," Nabooru came up beside Zelda, pulling her out of the chair and slinging an arm around her shoulders. "Let's get you to bed."

"But I'm not tired!" the blonde complained as Impa followed after the duo, not even making a move to get out of Nabooru's grasp.

"You can barely walk," Nabooru explained with a chuckle as she led Zelda to the guest room she was staying in.

"What is the matter with her?" Impa asked, coming up beside Nabooru; she had learned through the dinner that the Gerudo could see her because of the way she stared at the Sheikah.

"Oh, uhh…." Nabooru glanced off to the side almost innocently. "An…initiation rite of sorts."

"A what?"

"Ah, never mind," Nabooru said as they entered the guest room, abruptly handing Zelda off to the Sheikah the moment she passed the threshold, causing Impa to turn tangible. "I'll let you take it from here."

"Wha…" Impa glanced down at the partially limp Zelda who she held under the arms to support her before looking at Nabooru, the Gerudo already running off. "Hey!"

With a sigh, Impa gazed down at Zelda once more before she carefully shifted the blonde and picked her up, carrying her bridal style.

"Hey, hey!" Zelda whispered, pulling on Impa's hair strand to get her attention. "I have a secret I wanna tell you!"

"Yes?" Impa lowered her head slightly, deciding to play along with Zelda.

"I really, really like you," Zelda said into the Sheikah's ear.

Impa blinked as she raised her head, Zelda resting her head in the crook of the Sheikah's arm.

"Don't tell Impa," the Hylian dissolved into giggles as if what she had just said was the greatest thing in the world.

Impa looked down at Zelda, watching the blonde's breathing even out as she snuggled closer to the Sheikah.

Quietly, Impa headed toward the bed and gently set Zelda down, covering her with the sheets.

As she turned to leave, something grabbed two of her fingers and Impa turned halfway around to see Zelda staring at her.

The Hylian's face was slightly flushed and faint tears shimmered in her eyes.

"Please…"

The grip tightened slightly on Impa's fingers.

"He might come back. Don't leave me."

Impa glanced toward the foot of the bed where she normally resided while Zelda slept, to meditate.

"Please."

The Sheikah looked back at Zelda and gave a slow nod, the Hylian perking up slightly.

Zelda released her hold on Impa's fingers as the Sheikah sat next to the bed's side.


	31. To the Temple of Time

It was the headache that she first noticed when she was brought out of the confines of sleep.

Skull cracking.

The very irritating and painful aching caused Zelda to turn over and curl up into the tiniest of balls that she could manage, muttering under her breath.

"I can't believe that you're going to be the next queen of Hryule," a voice said.

It was definitely not Nabooru or Impa.

Zelda squinted open an eye to see Sheik standing at the side of her bed, arms crossed and eyebrow raised, a mix of amusement and disappointment evident in his eyes.

Deciding that she certainly must be hallucinating because of the pounding headache, Zelda turned her back to Sheik and threw the covers over her head to block out any light.

"Zelda."

"Zelda isn't here right now, please leave a message after the beep. Beeep."

"Zelda, wake up."

When the covers were yanked off her, Zelda turned slightly to glare at a very real Sheik holding the blanket away from her reach.

With a small groan, Zelda rolled onto her back and slowly sat up, taking gradual movements as any fast motions caused the world to tilt a bit and a wave of nausea to overcome her.

"Sheik? What are you doing here?"

Before Sheik could answer, a blur tackled Zelda, the 'blur' being an ecstatic Link.

"Zel, you're okay! When Sheik said we had to go get you, I thought you were injured! Are you injured? I got my pack! It's got a fairy and a red potion in it!"

Sheik decided not to mention that his pack also consisted of every adventure item Link had picked up on his journey.

"Do you need anything?! I bet I'll have it!"

"Get off me before I throw up on you," Zelda grumbled.

Link immediately leapt off Zelda and hid behind Sheik for protection.

Sheik glanced back at Link before turning his attention to Zelda.

"Nabooru sent me a messenger hawk telling me to pick up my drunk sister," he explained. "I thought she was joking, but here you are, hungover."

"It's not _my_ fault," Zelda whined, rubbing at her temples pitifully. "Nabs spiked my drink."

"Blame the Gerudo."

"She did!"

"I did," Nabooru said as she entered the room, carrying a cup. "It was an initiation rite."

"Wait," Link perked up. "I had to free the stupid carpenters and fight Aveil to be considered a Gerudo!"

"Well, you are a dude," Nabooru said, pointing at Link. "Zelda is a girl, so her entry is obviously going to be different from yours since this is an all female society."

Link pouted slightly as Nabooru handed the glass to Zelda, still irritated at Zelda's easy entry.

"Medicine for your hangover," the Gerudo explained as Zelda took the cup.

"I hate you," Zelda grumbled, glaring at Nabooru as she took a drink of the medicine, gagging at the horrible taste.

"I love you too," Nabooru ruffled Zelda's hair before walking out of the room after Zelda half-heartedly pushed her hand away.

As she passed the doorway, the Gerudo waved at Impa who quietly stood nearby to follow her, the Sheikah carefully trailing after her.

"So..." Nabooru paused a considerable distance from the room Zelda was in, remaining to the side so no one could see her. "How do you feel about Zelda?"

"How do I feel about her?" Impa repeated with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, you know, do you like her?"

"Of course."

"No, I mean, like...you know, romantically."

Impa remained silent, remembering the words Zelda had spoken to her the night before.

_"I really, really like you."_

Nabooru reached out a hand and let it hover several inches above the Sheikah's arm, a sympathetic smile on her face.

"You know, I understand the Sheikah are all about rules and generally not revealing their emotions, but Zelda's a wonderful girl. I may not know a lot about you, but I know you're terrific, too."

Impa stared at Nabooru blankly for a few seconds before she cracked a faint smile.

"Thank you."

"And besides," Nabooru grinned. "You two deserve it."

Impa gazed toward the doorway, but remained silent.

* * *

"So what have you been up to all this time?!" Link asked eagerly, oblivious to the fact that Zelda wanted some peace and quiet as she got over her hangover.

Zelda was lying down again, an arm over her eyes to block out the light.

Link was beside her bed while Sheik quietly stood several feet away.

"Can you tell us? Huh, huh? Can ya?"

"Link, if you do not leave me alone, I will take away a very precious part of your manhood," Zelda threatened.

Link froze in horror and even Sheik widened his eyes a bit at the realization.

"I, uh..." Link cautiously backed away toward the door. "I should...coming, Epona!"

Link took off, Sheik watching him while Zelda smirked to herself.

Zelda lifted up her arm slightly when she felt someone sit on the edge of the bed, seeing Sheik fixing her with a disapproving gaze.

"Oh, I wasn't really gonna do it," Zelda sighed, lowering her arm to cover her eyes again.

"I understand that," Sheik said patiently. "I want to comprehend why you would suddenly go on a crazy adventure without me or Link."

Zelda didn't respond, choosing instead to remain silent.

"What would have happened if you had gotten killed?"

"I wasn't gonna get myself killed," Zelda mumbled, deciding not to mention any of the monsters she and Impa had encountered.

Sheik didn't respond for several seconds.

"Zelda," her half-brother whispered. "I just want to make sure that you know what you're doing."

Zelda raised her arm, peering at Sheik to see him gazing off to the side.

She sat up and touched Sheik's arm to gain his attention.

"I wouldn't be doing this if I wasn't certain."

"But is it right?"

"Yes."

Sheik's eyes flickered away from Zelda's momentarily before he sighed, resting his hand on top of his half-sister's.

"Okay, then I trust you."

Zelda smiled.

"Thanks, Sheik."

"If something goes wrong, I'm blaming you."

Zelda chuckled, "Okay."

Link carefully poked his head into the room, looking nervous.

"Is it okay to come back now?"

"Yes, Link," Zelda said with a shake of her head as Sheik removed his hand. "It's safe."

"Oh, cool," Link entered the room with a grin. "So, are you feeling any better?"

"My headache's gone and I don't feel like I'm gonna throw up at the slightest movement."

"That's good,"sheik said. "It means your hangover is receding."

"So can we leave soon?" Link asked.

Sheik glanced at Zelda.

"Do you feel up to that?"

"Yeah, I think I'm good," Zelda nodded, "but before we head home, could we make a slight detour?"

"Detour?" Link and Sheik looked at each other when they realized they had said that at the same time.

"A detour where?" Sheik asked as he gazed at Zelda.

"To the Temple of Time."


	32. Bones of Renascence

The group entered the bustling commons of Castle Town later that day.

Nabooru had decided to tag along with the group, saying she wanted to check up on the other sages in the chamber.

Impa quietly glanced around, still fascinated by how things had progressed since her passing, gazing at the ancient structure sitting at the far eastern corner of the city she had seen once before; it appeared to be the place they were heading.

"That is the Temple?" Impa questioned, observing the building as they got closer.

The Temple of Time Impa had known had been an open courtyard. This temple appeared to be a place of worship more than a normal temple.

Zelda nodded. "Yup."

"It appears to be a place of devotion."

"Hmm," Zelda gazed up at the temple, holding onto the strap of the bag hanging from her left shoulder. "Now that you mention it, it sort of does look like a church, huh? Did you have worship places back in the Sky Era?"

"We had many temples, much like the Fire Temple we visited, but not one like this. The only temple that could be compared to this one would be the Sealed Temple."

"In the Sealed Grounds, under Lake Hylia."

Impa nodded. "Yes. It was where I awaited, aged, for the Hero and Her Grace. The second Gate of Time rested there where the Hero returned to the past where I had originally come from."

"Wait," Zelda furrowed her eyebrows, puzzled, and briefly glanced back at Link and the others; they were still out of earshot. "How could you—"

"It is a bit difficult to explain," the Sheikah chuckled softly. "I will tell you later."

"And by later, you mean never," Zelda grumbled with a huff, glancing to the side moodily.

"I will explain someday," Impa amended, reaching her hand out to pat Zelda's head only to retract her hand seconds later, slowly placing it by her side as she realized the effect it would have on the blonde.

Zelda paused several feet before the entrance to the temple, looking back at the group who were drawing closer.

"Hey, you guys can go on ahead," she announced. "I want to talk to Sheik for a few minutes."

Sheik cast Zelda a wary look, wondering what she could possibly want to speak with him about.

Link walked past the two, briefly glancing back at Sheik worriedly, Nabooru trailing after the hero.

After a quick glance to Impa, the Sheikah quietly followed after the two, entering the main hall of the temple.

"Okay, what is it?" Sheik asked, tilting his head a bit. "What do you want to talk about?"

"I want to ask you something," Zelda said, scuffing her shoe against the ground as she stared at the pathway beneath her for a few seconds before looking up at Sheik. "Well…actually, I want you to find something for me."

Sheik raised an eyebrow. "Find something?"

Zelda nodded and waved Sheik closer, her brother reluctantly stepping closer and leaning down slightly so Zelda could whisper in his ear.

"What? No!" Sheik stepped back, staring at Zelda with wide eyes. "I cannot do that! It's desecration!"

"But, Sheik, I probably need it."

"No!"

"You said you trusted me."

Sheik gave a surprised start, not having expected Zelda to use what he had said against him.

Really, he should have known she eventually would.

"You said that, didn't you?"

Sheik gave a defeated sigh. "Yes."

"Then you have to trust that I need it."

Sheik gave a frustrated groan. "Fine. I'll get it. But don't expect me to go against tradition again."

"Yeah, yeah, curses and all that," Zelda waved her hand, strolling toward the temple after patting Sheik on the back. "Good luck."

Sheik watched as his sister entered the temple before he gazed at the considerable courtyard surrounding the building. "Where do I even start?"

* * *

As she entered the chamber where the Master Sword had resided, Zelda spotted the trio waiting for her, Impa inspecting the blade's pedestal.

"What are you guys doing here?" she asked. "I thought you were in the sage's chamber already."

"I tried to open it, but…" Link looked toward the pedestal, Master Sword sticking out from the top of his pack. "It didn't work."

Zelda snapped her fingers "Oh, right. Since you kept the Master Sword, I closed the doorway myself. So, of course, only I can open it again."

Zelda stepped closer to the pedestal.

"I'll open it and leave it accessible for Sheik."

"Where is he?" Link asked curiously, gazing out into the main hall as if waiting to see the Sheikah.

Zelda didn't answer his question, pretending to put all of her energy into opening the gateway leading to the chamber of the sages.

A few seconds later, Zelda opened her eyes and grinned, staring at the chamber before her.

Nabooru immediately stepped out of the glowing circle they stood on, positioned next to the Triforce symbol in the floor, and headed toward Saria and Impa who were playing some sort of card game close to the Shadow sage's medallion.

Zelda stepped up to the Triforce mark, standing at the base of it, and set her pack down as Link went toward the crest of the Forest sage and placed his bag down next to it.

"Hello, Zelda," Rauru greeted, walking closer to the blonde. "What bring you here to the chamber?"

"Um, some business," Zelda answered slowly, taking out the ingredients and book form her bag.

Aunt Impa briefly glanced toward Zelda, then toward the tall Sheikah standing behind the princess, before returning her attention to the card game.

"What sort of business?"

"You know, business," Zelda shrugged, focusing on finding the page she needed in the book.

"Liiinnk~!"

"Ruto, don't—!"

Everyone glanced toward Link to see him sprawled on the ground with an ecstatic Ruto snuggled against him.

"You returned!"

"Agh, Ruto…"

"That's not going to work, Ruto," Zelda muttered, running her finger down the list of items in the book, nodding to herself when she found it. "Link is gay."

Link gave a protesting squeak as Ruto hopped off Link in surprise.

"You're what?!"

"That's supposed to be a secret!"

"What's supposed to be a secret?" Sheik asked casually as he entered the realm, dirt smudged on his exoskeleton in places and carrying a small bag carefully by his side.

"Link being gay," Zelda answered, taking a small bowl form her bag and beginning to put the items into it, using a thick, stubby object to crush them.

"That's not a secret, hero," Sheik pointed out.

"Yeah, you're straight as a rainbow!" Nabooru called.

"And colorful like one, too," Saria giggled.

As Link squealed unintelligibly at everyone's betrayal over his sexuality, Sheik walked up to Zelda.

Ruto was sulking in what could be considered a corner, close to the three sages playing their card game.

"Where should I put it?" he asked, holding up the bag slightly.

"Right in the center of the Triforce," Zelda pointed in the area she wanted, not looking up from her pounding of the items, occasionally glancing at the book to make certain she wasn't missing any minor details she should know.

"Okay," Sheik grunted, heading toward the other side of the Triforce symbol, opposite of the entrance to the realm, and crouching down, gently setting the bag beside him.

Impa turned her attention to Sheik, wondering what he had brought.

She watched as the Sheikah carefully took out white pieces of something, all different shapes and sizes, and placed them in the middle of the Triforce decal on the floor, arranging them in a pattern.

As he continued placing the objects, Impa began to realize that the pieces were bones.

Impa wondered what Zelda would need a Stalfos skeleton for.

As Sheik placed down an ulna bone, after setting the skull down toward Zelda's end, Impa curiously went closer to the half-finished skeleton when she noticed something, trying not to disturb Zelda or Sheik.

A tiny, wire-thin line ran across the circumference of the bone; a long-healed break.

Impa took a small step back, recognizing the ancient, healed crack in the bone of the left arm.

The skeleton was not that of a Stalfos.

It was hers.


	33. Bone to Skin

"Hey, Link," Zelda glanced at the hero who was sulking near his pack. "Come here for a second."

Link looked at Zelda warily before slowly making his way closer to the princess.

"What?" he asked glumly, still sore about practically everyone ganging up on him.

"Give me your hand."

"What? No!" Link held his hands to his chest protectively, taking a step away from his cousin.

"Come on, I just need a drop of your blood."

"Hell no!"

"_Link_!" Zelda got up partway from her crouch, grabbing one of Link's wrists and yanking him closer to her, forcing the hero onto one knee.

"Hey!" Link protested as Zelda pulled out a small knife from her pocket, attempting to pull his wrist out of Zelda's vice grip when he saw the blade.

Sheik gave a frustrated glare at Zelda as he realized that was one of his knives; she could have stolen it when she patted his back.

"Let go, Zel—ow! Heeeyy…!"

Zelda held Link's wrist in one hand, using her other hand to squeeze out a drop of blood from the tiny cut she had made on his index finger.

Once the drop landed in the powder of crushed items mixed in the bowl, Zelda released Link who immediately backed up, cradling his hand to his chest, before Zelda could do anything else to him.

The hero whined, going over to Sheik and showing his finger to the Sheikah.

"Did you see that, Sheik? She violated me!"

"You've been through much worse before, hero."

That statement didn't stop Sheik from gently wiping away the blood and using one of the many bandages he had to cover the cut.

"Your Grace, please cease this," Impa murmured, coming to Zelda's side as the blonde made a small cut on her own finger.

"Why?" Zelda asked, not noticing how Rauru appeared to be looking between what Zelda was doing and Impa's skeleton rapidly, gears obviously beginning to click.

"This is wrong. You are going to mess with life. What's dead should stay dead."

Zelda resisted the urge to tell Impa to try and explain her 'what's dead should stay dead' to several undead monsters.

"Impa," Zelda slid the book between her and the bowl, turning to the page of incantations. "You and I both know that you aren't truly dead. You were cursed by Demise."

The Sheikah appeared momentarily conflicted at Zelda's statement, eyes flicking between her skeleton and Zelda.

"I…understand that. However—"

"Please, let me do this," Zelda stared at Impa pleadingly. "I feel like...Hylia is telling me to do this."

"Are you certain—"

"I know it will."

Impa did not appear placated by Zelda's comforting gaze, but gave a small nod as she stepped back.

Zelda didn't even notice that the other sages had turned slightly to watch what Zelda was doing as she stood up.

Zelda began to focus all her energy into the bowl before her and around the center of the Triforce.

She then began to recite the incantation in the book, an ancient language that was neither Hylian nor Sheikan, but a hybrid of both.

The area darkened a little, but the slight change in light went unnoticed.

Everyone watched in fascination, though Rauru's gaze remained stern, as the powder within the bowl began to swirl around the skeleton, seeming to cover it in its entirety.

Very slowly, a thin layer of tendon and muscle began to spread over the bones.

More layers of muscle and the organs followed.

Skin, nails, hair, clothes.

Impa soon found herself gazing at her own body as if it had never decayed.

Unconsciously, she placed her hand over the bracelet on her wrist, spotting the same bracelet—untarnished and glittering faintly in the low light of the chamber—on her body's right wrist.

It was strange being there and staring at your own body.

Like an out-of-body experience, but different.

More real and terrifying.

It made the Sheikah realize that she really had died—forced Her Grace to bury her beloved guardian—and it left her with a bitter taste.

She had been a spirit for so long she had forgotten that she had an actual body, only aware that she never ceased to be and was never noticed, quietly watching the world change and grow without actually seeing it.

Once finished with the conjuration, Zelda fell to one knee, panting.

She had thought closing the doorways to the Sacred Realm and the Chamber had been tiring, but this spell had exhausted her without even spending the same amount of energy.

"Impa?" Zelda glanced up, looking for the Sheikah, but didn't see her anywhere.

Zelda gave a faint smile, her breathing gradually becoming a bit calmer.

That meant the spell had worked.

Gradually, she stood up when she was certain she wouldn't collapse.

But if that were so….

Zelda gazed at Impa worriedly, noticing that the Sheikah's eyes were still closed.

Then how come she hadn't awoken yet?

Someone gripped her arm and spun Zelda around, turning her to face a less than pleased Rauru.

"Zelda, do you even realize what you've done?"

"Yeah, I do," Zelda pulled her arm free from Rauru's grasp only to have the sage grab her arm again and drag her toward his medallion. "Hey, let go!"

"You know, but you don't think!" Rauru roughly released Zelda's arm. "Bringing someone back from the dead is forbidden!"

* * *

Impa slowly opened her eyes and glanced around, taking in her surroundings.

She appeared to be in the Sealed Grounds.

But at the same time it could not be the Sealed Grounds.

Though it appeared to be the place where the Sealed Temple resided, the area was bathed in an eerie blue glow and was deathly silent save for the faint noise of a bell tinkling intermittently in the distance.

A strange beast stood at the wall across from the Sheikah, holding the hilt of a heavy, club-like weapon in its hands.

A small tear-shaped item rested just feet in front of the creature, the color reminding Impa of a Goddess Plume.

She took a step forward to inspect the strange tear, but paused when a voice spoke.

"I wouldn't take another step if I were you, unless you want the Guardians to awaken."

The voice did not send the Sheikah on guard as she recognized the speaker, slowly turning to face the owner of the gentle voice.

"Your Grace."

Hylia stood a mere foot behind Impa, ethereal wings gently folded against her sides, the white ankle-length dress she wore and long blonde hair flowing around her waist appearing to shine in the dim area.

The goddess smiled somberly at the Sheikah, crystal blue eyes melancholic, clasping her hands in front of her.

"Hello, Impa."


	34. Dangerous Gamble

Hylia continued to stare at Impa silently before she smiled gently.

"How have you been?"

Impa suddenly went down on one knee, placing the tops of her knuckles against the cold ground as she lowered her head respectfully.

"Your Grace, I apologize. It was out of place for me to stray from destiny's original plan. I—"

"Impa, calm yourself."

The Sheikah instantly became silent at the soft command.

"Destiny is merely a guideline. It is not set in stone. Do you think destiny wanted the Sealed Grounds to become part of Lake Hylia?"

Impa did not raise her head at what Hylia said, but shook it in response.

"Now, stand up. We are old friends, right?"

Impa twitched slightly, her eyes flickering up briefly before returning to the ground.

Talking with Hylia in Zelda's body was different than speaking with the goddess herself after ages of not talking with her.

Hylia was terrifying.

Impa hated to admit that as she got older she had begun to grow a bit wary of the goddess.

Hylia was unpredictable, much like Zelda who would one moment be by the Sheikah's side and the next climbing a tree to grab a piece of fruit with a Guay pecking at her head.

As a Sheikah, however, Impa knew that emotions were bad.

Emotions lead to unpredictable behavior and caused you to speak without thinking.

"I…cannot possibly—"

"Impa, stand or I will drag you to your feet."

And that was why Hylia was scary.

It was a childish fear, but well-founded.

Gradually, Impa stood up, but kept her head lowered.

However, Hylia gently gripped her chin and forced the Sheikah to look up.

"We are equals. Okay?"

Impa nodded and Hylia released her, grinning.

"Good. Now, I am certain you are curious about what events happened after your passing."

Impa did not reply as she knew Hylia would tell her anyway whether she had answered or not.

"After you had died, I explained that the Master Sword had to be replaced so that you may watch over it, as well as the Triforce."

Impa nodded briefly; she remembered what her duty had been.

"However, Zelda refused to leave you in the past. She brought your body back to her time where your future self had already passed away. Despite my many protests, Zelda took the Triforce and convinced Link to keep the Master Sword a bit longer."

Impa was about to protest, but Hylia held up a hand to stop her so that she may continue.

"I suppose it was good that she did that despite the obvious dangers. After they had left the general area, a landslide occurred. It destroyed the Goddess Statue and the temple along with the Time Gate."

"It is how Lake Hylia was partially created."

"Yes. If they had done as fate originally intended, the Triforce as well as the Master Sword would be lost. Within Faron Woods, Zelda suggested they build a new place where both the Master Sword and Triforce may rest. The temple she, Link, and that red-haired boy created is what people now call the Temple of Time. I created the Sacred Realm to hide and protect the Triforce before departing from Zelda to head to the place where my sisters reside, but not before leaving Zelda with a bit of my power."

"Her—" Impa paused briefly before correcting herself. "Zelda….buried my body beside the temple to watch over the Master Sword and Triforce."

"Yes. She knew that is what you would have wanted."

Impa gazed down at the bracelet on her wrist.

"She gave you that so you would have something to remember her by."

The Sheikah looked up, mildly surprised to see Hylia wringing her hands together, something Impa had never seen the goddess do.

"I am…afraid she grew attached to you. More attached than I had intended." Hylia smiled sadly. "Before I departed, she said that if I were to see you again that I tell you… 'I miss you'."

Impa, who had put her hand over the bracelet in her usual nervous or thoughtful habit, tightened her grip on the bracelet so much she feared she'd break it.

No one had ever told her that she was missed; she was a shadow, merely passing by.

Impa had never considered Zelda's feelings before.

Hylia stared at the Sheikah sympathetically as if understanding her conflicted thoughts.

"I think she knows that you're okay. That is why the Zelda of this era is trying so hard to revive you."

Impa nodded slowly, barely registering the movement, before she looked up at Hylia.

However, the goddess already knew what she was going to ask.

"You're in a Silent Realm."

The Sheikah became puzzled.

A Silent Realm?

"I thought Silent Realms were for the Hero alone. To strengthen and purify his spirit so that he may advance to the next Sacred Flame which would temper and transform his blade."

Hylia nodded, chuckling.

"Yes, yes. However, I'm afraid if your spirit returned to your body as it is now, your body would reject it."

The goddess shook her head, a disgusted look crossing her graceful features.

"Spirit rejection is very nasty. So, I decided to…intervene a bit."

Impa raised an eyebrow before she gave a faint amused smile, her guard only lowered around the goddess.

"Are you meddling, Hylia?"

"Just a little," Hylia put her thumb and forefinger an inch apart to show how much she was meddling. "However, I raised you like a daughter so I have a right to."

"You have a very devious mind."

"I thought you realized that's where Zelda gets all her schemes?" Hylia smiled playfully before she became serious, ready to explain the goal.

"A Silent Realm strengthens and cleanses the spirit. By going through this Silent Realm, your soul will be purified of the curse Demise placed on you and strengthened to prevent any chance of rejection when returned to your body."

Hylia gestured to the area around her.

"However, unlike the trials the Hero went through, this one is a bit different. Unlike the many Guardians he encountered, you have two; one here and one in the temple. There are five Watchers. Four out here and one in the temple."

Impa gazed around as Hylia explained, noticing the four Watchers roaming the sloping sides of the Sealed Grounds, one merely content with resting in the center of the third slope.

"The fifteen Tears you have to gather are called the Tears of Hylia. Ten are all along the slope and the other five are inside the temple."

"Gathering the Tears halts the Guardians for a limited amount of time," Impa finished. "Unless I am caught by a Watcher."

"Yes," Hylia nodded. "However, you only have one shot at completing this Silent Realm."

The goddess fixed Impa with a sober gaze to make certain her point got across.

"If you get struck by a Guardian, your soul will shatter. Outside, your body will decay once more and your bones will melt to prevent any chance of another resurrection. Your spirit will be trapped in limbo for eternity if you fail."


	35. Tears of Hylia

Impa gazed around, mentally making a map of where the Tears along the slope were and how the Watchers moved.

Hylia remained silent, watching the Sheikah.

Finally, Impa decided that she was ready and took a step out of the glowing circle she and the goddess stood in.

The area turned a blood red as the Guardians awoke, red eyes flashing.

The Club Guardian noticed Impa immediately, rushing toward her with its weapon raised.

Impa matched the Guardian's pace, ducking under the weapon and sliding between the Guardian's legs as the club crashed into the ground where she had been seconds before.

Puzzled, the creature glanced around before turning to look behind it as the Sheikah touched the first Tear.

The area instantly became calm as the Guardians returned to sleep.

Carefully, Impa made her way up the slope, easily evading the Air Watchers and the single Ground Watcher.

As she got to the top of the slope however, Impa failed to notice the Air Watcher sneaking up behind her.

The creature loudly rang its bell, alerting and awakening the Guardians.

The Sheikah made for the doors of the temple, hoping to enter it before a Guardian came out, but as she neared the doors a Scythe Guardian passed through the doors, startling her.

Impa jumped back as the Guardian took a swipe at her and leaped down to the second slope, the Guardian following after her.

On the ground level, the Club Guardian was looking around for the intruder.

Soon it spotted the Sheikah hopping down the slopes, evading the Scythe Guardian's swipes, and came rushing toward her.

Impa jumped up just as the Guardian made another swipe with its scythe, the weapon's blade slicing a diagonal gash in the Club Guardian's mask.

The Club Guardian placed a hand to its face as if in pain as Impa landed behind it before turning and continuing the chase.

The Sheikah leaped back up the slopes to evade the faster Scythe Guardian, and entered the temple, gathering the nearest Tear she could find.

Everything became peaceful and Impa gathered the last four Tears before returning to Hylia with little trouble.

"Good job," Hylia congratulated as the power of the Tears did their job; the goddess made a mental note to check up on Hei later. "Now that your spirit has been cleansed, you can return to your body."

The area around them began to slowly disintegrate.

Hylia placed a hand on Impa's shoulder.

"Hey, give Zelda a chance. You are no longer her guardian; you are equals."

Impa nodded slowly. "I understand, Hylia."

Hylia smiled faintly, patting the Sheikah's shoulder.

"Good luck."

The Silent Realm completely vanished and very faintly, Impa felt something cool being pressed into her right hand.


	36. Omake-A Hard Day's Work

"Aw, c'mon, Hei-chan, I said I was sorry!"

A soft snort.

"You know I didn't mean it!"

The red-gold eyes continued to gaze at the wall grumpily.

"What if you stabbed my face, would it make you feel better?"

The eighteen-year-old ignored the other boy his age, arms crossed over his chest tightly.

Heisei was three inches taller than his companion Tanoshii. His light silver hair was short with a few stray hairs hanging in his handsome face.

Heisei's mace rested against the wall along with the long, intricate robe and cracked mask of a Mace Guardian; the black tank top and silver jeans that were usually hidden beneath the robe were exposed, but Hei felt more comfortable in them than the robe.

After the recent trial, Heisei had been sent to the Great Fairy's infirmary within the castle that resided in the realm of Aionas to have the gash on his face checked out; the cut, accidentally created by one of Tanoshii's scythes, spanned the middle of the left side of Heisei's forehead, crossing over the bridge of his nose, and ended near the bottom of his right jaw.

Of course, the cut would eventually heal as did all Guardian's wounds no matter how severe since they were immortal and ageless beings, but the bandages covering his face were irritating and he could practically feel the gash already beginning to scab.

Tanoshii's scythes rested close to Hei's weapon, along with his own mask and short cloak, revealing clothes identical to the ones Hei wore though a bit more loose and comfortable, and a Dusk Relic hung on a thin string around his neck; the necklace appeared to counter the Amber Relic that Hei wore so that if both Relics were put together, they would create a Yin-Yang symbol.

The Scythe Guardian's snow-white hair was a bit longer than Hei's and spikier. His gold eyes were young like his face, despite the Guardian being a few hundred years older than Hei, and as childish as a Watcher.

"You _know _I didn't mean it, Hei," Tano pouted babyishly as Hei continued to look pointedly away from him. "She dodged! How was I supposed ta know she'd do that?"

A huff was the only answer.

"Heeeiiiii, pay attention to me!" Tano stretched his body across Hei's lap, begging for attention as he stared at the Mace Guardian pathetically.

Hei continued ignoring him, looking toward the closed door of the infirmary so he wouldn't accidentally catch Tano's eye; he knew his resolve would weaken if he looked into those sad eyes of melted gold.

Tano pouted at the blatant disregard for his existence (if he could call it that) before a devious thought entered his mind, a sly grin crossing his features as his eyes glinted.

He sat up, shifting so that he was straddling Hei and rested his forehead against the Mace Guardian's shoulder as he draped his lithe arms around the other's neck, making a pathetic noise at the back of his throat.

Hei tensed a bit at the contact, highly aware of the danger they were in if they were caught as anyone could come through the door at any moment.

"Get off, Tano. What if the Great Fairy returns and sees you?"

"Ha, got you to talk to me," Tano muttered smugly with an obvious smile on his face, making no intention of moving any time soon.

"Tano!"

Tano just made a whine, placing his lips against the side of Hei's neck as he innocently brushed the tips of his fingers along the back of the other Guardian's neck just below his hairline, causing Hei to shiver a bit at the touch and glare at him.

"_Tano_!"

"What...?" Tano sat back, his face blank in an infuriating way that said that he knew about Hei's sensitive spot, but was going to act innocent because he knew it irritated the Mace Guardian.

Hei gave a sigh of defeat, briefly rolling his eyes, and Tano took that as an invitation to rest his forehead against Hei's.

Hei wondered who was more devious: Tano or the child-like Watchers.

Just as the Scythe Guardian leaned closer to close the gap between them, there was a knock at the door and Hylia entered seconds later.

"Hello, Hei-kun, I was just—"

The goddess stopped, noticing Tano sitting in a seat beside the bed Hei rested in, both Guardians' hands resting in their laps, identical blushes crossing their faces.

"Oh, hello, Tano-chan."

Tano flinched a bit and sheepishly looked at Hylia. "Oh….h-hello, Mistress Hylia."

Hylia gave a nod to the Guardian before turning to Hei.

"I came to see how you were doing."

"I'm doing fine, Miss Hylia," Hei scratched the side of his cheek as he avoided the goddess's gaze. "The cut doesn't bother me at all."

"Ah, that is good." Hylia frowned slightly, tilting her head a fraction when she noticed the red across the Guardians' faces. "Is it hot in here?"

Both Guardians sputtered and began denying that it was hot.

Hylia gave a bemused smile at the reaction and chuckled softly, waving her hands to calm the two Guardians down as the feathers on her wings ruffled slightly.

"All right, all right. Anyway, Hei, you get better soon, all right?"

Hei nodded.

"Tano, stay out of trouble and make sure you watch Kai. I think he's planning a prank on Din soon and you know she dislikes when the Watchers pick on her."

Tano rapidly nodded, a nervous expression on his face.

"Goodbye, you two," the goddess waved to the two Guardians, who returned the gesture quickly, and departed from the room, shutting the door behind her.

Once they were certain Hylia was gone, Hei and Tano sighed in relief and glanced at each other before grinning; keeping their relationship a secret was sometimes hard, but it was a hell of a lot of fun to test the limits.


	37. Let the Rain Fall

Impa's eyes slowly opened before she squinted slightly as the lighting within the Sacred Realm hurt her eyes and gave her a slight headache.

She gradually sat up, her entire body protesting with the movement, staring at her left hand in what could only be called awe.

Link perked up when he noticed the Sheikah moving while Sheik blinked before turning his attention to Zelda who was still arguing with Rauru.

"Zelda."

Zelda stopped in her quarrel with the sage, glancing at Sheik who tilted his head toward Impa.

The blonde princess lit up when she noticed the Sheikah attempting to stand, albeit a bit awkwardly as Impa was getting used to the fact that she now had to move muscle and sinew and it didn't help with her joints cracking with every little movement.

"Impa!"

Impa gave a surprised yelp when she was suddenly tackled in a hug which knocked her onto her back and ruining the progress she had made, an extremely happy Zelda clinging to her waist.

"You're all right!"

The Sheikah flailed slightly as Zelda continued hugging her, a few amused chuckles sounding from several of the sages.

"Y-your Grace!"

Zelda pulled back, crossing her arms as she sat on Impa's hips, puffing out her cheeks childishly.

The Sheikah immediately became humble, looking down as she realized that Zelda didn't want to call her 'Your Grace' anymore.

"…Z-Zelda…."

Zelda beamed at Impa's pronunciation of her name, becoming irritated when Rauru grabbed her arm and dragged her off Impa and to her feet.

"Do you realize that what you've done is wrong and forbidden?"

Impa glanced down when she realized she was holding something in her right hand, slowly opening her fingers to reveal a dark stone carved into the shape of wings.

The Sheikah frowned slightly as she stared at the stone, which was attached to a thin string, rubbing the smooth surface with her thumb.

A Time Shift stone?

Impa tapped the stone on the floor, not at all surprised when it failed to activate.

A dud.

Impa stared at the stone for a second longer before putting it in her pocket; there must have been a reason Hylia had given it to her and as such was going to take extreme care in protecting it.

"But it worked!" Zelda protested as Rauru tried to continue explaining the error in her ways.

"What if it hadn't?" Rauru prompted. "Do you even know what ReDeads are?"

"Yeah. They're monsters."

"Not entirely. ReDeads are the product of failed resurrections."

Zelda glanced over at Impa to see her attempting to stand up again, Sheik aiding her gently. She couldn't imagine Impa as a ReDead—a monster that she would probably have to kill before it killed her.

Rauru seemed to understand Zelda's train of thought. "You could have transformed her into a ReDead."

Zelda glared at Rauru, becoming frustrated with him. "Yeah, well it worked, so lay off it, gramps."

Rauru gave a surprised snort at the fact that Zelda had just called him 'gramps'.

Link watched Sheik and Impa before he snapped his fingers and began rummaging through his pack, muttering, "I bet a red potion will help."

The Hylian began taking things out of his pack, muttering "Nope" whenever it wasn't what he was looking for.

Longshot.

"Nope."

Master Sword.

"Nope."

Hylian Shield.

"Nope."

Fairy bottle.

"Nope."

Link realized a second too late after he had tossed the bottle behind him—like he had done with everything else other than the Master Sword and Hylian Shield (which had been placed very gently by his side)—that a fairy could also help.

"No!" Link yelped, hopping to his feet as the bottle hit the ground and shattered.

"Freedom!" the fairy squeaked, happily flying into the air. "Freedom!"

"No, Mr. Fairy!" Link said, chasing after the fairy and attempting to grab it. "Come back!"

"See you later, sucker!"

Link gave a soft whine as the fairy disappeared, everyone else staring at where the fairy had gone, before glancing at Link who sullenly went back to his pack to continue his search for a red potion.

A fairy and a bottle down.

Slingshot.

"Nope."

Boomerang.

"Nope."

Eye of Truth.

"Nope."

Red potion.

"No—"

Link was faster in noticing the bottle of thrown red potion, chasing after it and managing to catch it before it fell over the edge of the platform and into oblivion.

He triumphantly held it up for everyone to see, turning on his back.

"Got it!"

Impa looked up when she heard the blond approach, looking slightly surprised when he held out the bottle to her.

"Here. This should help with the aches and pains."

Impa stared at the red potion for several seconds before gradually taking it, humbled by the hero's kindness.

"Thank you."

Link grinned, obviously pleased with himself as Impa drank a bit of the healing potion, the Sheikah's body instantly relaxing when the tonic took effect.

Rauru sighed, completely giving up in explaining Zelda's error, silently deciding that her decision may have been a bit half-assed with no thought for possible consequences, but her heart had been in the right place nonetheless.

Aunt Impa quietly observed her ancestor, watching the thin Sheikah interact with Zelda. She smiled slightly.

So that was the nature of their relationship.

Impa looked up as Aunt Impa approached her, half of her tensing at the sight of seeing her predecessor.

This was the Impa that had taken care of Zelda when she had been a child.

Just before she could bow to show her respect, Aunt Impa placed a hand on her shoulder with a faint smile.

"I give you my blessing."

Impa looked faintly surprised, not sure what exactly the older Sheikah meant by that, but Zelda looked ecstatic as she tackled Aunt Impa in a hug.

"Thank you, Aunt Impa!"

* * *

The group stepped outside after everything in the Sacred Realm had been said and done, Zelda making sure to stick close to Impa, even going so far as to lightly hold onto the Sheikah's hand.

Impa looked at her arm when she felt something wet land on it before looking up at the gray sky as more drops started to fall.

"It's raining." Link said as the drops of rain soon turned into a drizzle.

Sheik gave a grumble at the rain, covering his head with his hands.

Impa looked at her arm, watching the clear raindrops sliding off her skin and drip from her fingertips, feeling the faint coldness that the rain held.

She had almost forgotten what it meant to feel the rain.


	38. Epilogue

It had been several weeks since Impa had been resurrected and she was gradually beginning to become accustomed to being alive again.

She had troubles with remembering to eat and sleep regularly but with Zelda by her side to remind her, the habits were beginning to settle in.

Rusty with her battle skills, Impa trained consistently with Link to regain her abilities; the combats also helped Link which Zelda considered a win-win since Link had become lazy without the prospect of a new adventure.

Of course there was that one little detail of the King not knowing that Impa slept in Zelda's room.

Zelda was very clever with hiding Impa, making sure her father didn't see the Sheikah and kick her out in the street.

Today, though, Impa had the castle to herself.

The King was out on official business and Zelda was making lunch for them, calling it a lunch date.

Whatever a "date" was.

Impa paused in her aimless wandering—actually, she was mapping out the castle in her mind—as she passed a mirror.

Staring at her reflection, Impa clenched her left hand as unwanted memories flooded her mind.

"_Weirdo!"_

_"Freak!"_

"_Only monsters have red eyes!"_

_Impa stared at her reflection in the mirror, wondering what was so bad about her crimson eyes._

_She wasn't a monster, but these eyes didn't allow her to make any friends._

_The glass of the mirror suddenly cracked, distorting her reflection._

_Impa looked at her left hand, not realizing she had struck out with the palm of her hand, breaking the mirror and cutting her palm._

_She stared at the mirror again before leaving to go bandage her hand._

_Impa hated mirrors._

Impa rubbed the palm of her hand, gazing at her reflection.

She continued staring at herself before tilting her had slightly.

There was something…off about her appearance.

"Hey, Impa. Whatcha doing?"

Impa glanced behind her as Zelda approached.

"Looking at my reflection. I thought I saw something strange."

"Like what?"

"I think…I'm younger."

Zelda stared at Impa skeptically before gasping.

"Oh…I think the resurrection may have made you younger by…a few years…."

"How many?"

"You look eighteen."

Impa touched her hair strand curiously. So that was why her hair looked a bit shorter than she remembered.

* * *

Impa returned to Zelda's room once the king came back.

The king requested to speak with Zelda which caused Impa to be slightly concerned as to what he wanted to speak with her about.

Impa was interrupted from her mediation at the end of Zelda's bed when the door slammed open and she was suddenly talked by an ecstatic Zelda.

"Impa, guess what?!"

"What?"

"Dad's allowing me to stay at the summer house!"

"Really?" Impa questioned as Zelda began to eagerly pack clothes and other essentials.

"Yep! He says I can as long as I visit every week or two!"

"That's wonderful."

"Wait until Link hears!"

Impa smiled slightly as Zelda continued gushing about the news.

It seemed they would have a new adventure after all.


End file.
